Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Sen. Ossoff pushes Secretary Hegseth on past comments about victory in U.S. war with Iran
Posted
July 21, 2026
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July 21, 2026
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2:52Now PlayingSen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about statements he has made about the U.S. war with Iran.
Ossoff quoted several of Hegseth’s comments from the first several weeks of the conflict, including his assurances that Iran’s military had been “‘destroyed and made combat ineffective.”
“Were those accurate statements?” Ossoff asked.
Hegseth said it had been “a historic military victory over Iran.”
Ossoff continued to push as he and Hegseth spoke over each other.
Hegseth maintained that the U.S. military’s main objective “was to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
“We never expected they would stop having capabilities to shoot,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testified Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee about the Trump administration’s $87.6 billion supplemental funding request, the bulk of which would be used for the U.S. war with Iran.
Their appearance before Senate lawmakers comes after the U.S. rolled out its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran. At least three American service members have been killed in recent days. As war between the two nations intensifies, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, forcing U.S. gas prices to jump again.
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