WASHINGTON, November 10, 2026 — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a defiant defense of the Iran war at a rare Pentagon press conference, declaring he would “do it again tomorrow” even as Republican congressman Thomas Massie forced a House vote on articles of impeachment. The political crisis follows midterm election losses that Vice President JD Vance and others have blamed on the conflict.
Hegseth’s Defiant Stand at the Pentagon
Speaking at his first press briefing in more than six months, Hegseth stood behind every operation undertaken by the administration, including the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, strikes against suspected narco boats in Latin America, and the launch of the war on Iran. “I stand behind every one of these operations, I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” he said.
Hegseth described the impeachment resolution as “sabotage” and a “farce” that would hand a propaganda win to U.S. adversaries. He argued the war was justified to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. When pressed on Vice President Vance’s assessment that the conflict cost Republicans the House, Hegseth declined to engage in finger-pointing, calling Vance a critical member of the team.
The press conference itself drew criticism after Hegseth took questions exclusively from conservative outlets including Real America’s Voice, Daily Wire, Fox News, Daily Signal, OANN, and Washington Times. Washington Post Pentagon correspondent Tara Copp reported that a member of Hegseth’s security detail warned reporters they would be “physically removed from the briefing room” if they were not “professional.”
Impeachment Push and Republican Fracture
Massie, the outgoing representative from Kentucky, filed eight articles of impeachment on Monday night, accusing Hegseth of illegally waging war in Iran without congressional authorization and abusing his powers. The resolution forces a House vote this week. If it passes, Hegseth would become only the third Cabinet member in U.S. history to be impeached, following William Belknap in 1876 and Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024.
The midterm election drubbing has been widely blamed on the war in Iran, which began in February 2026 when the United States and Israel conducted hundreds of air strikes on targets across Iran, including strikes that assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Democrats won at least 54 Senate seats and seized control of the House.
Trump’s Full-Throated Defense
President Donald Trump offered an unreserved defense of his defense secretary, posting on Truth Social that Hegseth gets an “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS” and calling Massie a “total loser” and “stone cold loser.” At a press conference, Trump declared Hegseth “won two wars” — the Venezuela operation to capture Maduro, which Trump called “flawless,” and the conflict in Iran, which he said Hegseth is “winning.”
Trump has previously acknowledged the war contributed to Republican midterm losses but insisted he would make the same decision again. On Monday, he told reporters the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over” and that the U.S. is “just keeping it the status quo” after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister.
Regional Escalation and Iranian Signaling
The political fight in Washington plays out against continued volatility in the region. Overnight strikes in Yemen hit a gas station and an oil facility in Sanaa, killing at least one person and wounding nine others, according to Houthi-run health ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi. Al-Asbahi blamed Saudi Arabia for both strikes. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims. A Saudi-led coalition spokesperson said a drone was intercepted and destroyed in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region.
In Tehran, the Revolutionary Guard displayed what it described as an underground “missile city” and new, unidentified surface-to-surface missiles. State TV broadcast heavily edited footage of Gen. Ali Abdollahi, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, visiting the facility. Abdollahi claimed Israel failed to defeat Iran in recent wars and warned of another “surprise” in any future conflict.
Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, said Saturday that Iran has lifted limits on its missile range, previously capped at 2,000 kilometers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei last week urged a stern military reaction to possible U.S. and Israeli strikes “without geographical limit.”
Iran’s Diplomatic Demands
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei claimed on X that the war had already “wrecked the US government” and demanded Washington “surrender” to seven conditions for ending the conflict. Tehran continues to require the lifting of sanctions and the blockade on its ports, the unfreezing of assets, compensation for war damage, and an end to regional hostilities including Israeli operations in Lebanon before resuming talks.
The House is scheduled to vote on the impeachment articles today.
Sources
- Iran War: Latest News, Live Coverage and Video
- Overnight strikes in Yemen kill at least 1 person and wound 9, and other Mideast news
- ‘I’d do it all again tomorrow’: Defiant Hegseth confronts impeachment
- Donald Trump doubles down on defense of Pete Hegseth and attacks fresh effort to impeach him – as it happened
Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense (Public domain)
