US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared visibly uncomfortable after Donald Trump implied the conflict with Iran was sparked by his encouragement.
The US and Israel have carried out strikes on Iran for more than three weeks, targeting key sites across the country and killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei alongside other senior officials. Attacks have also hit major cities and critical infrastructure.
Iran responded by halting tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that handles roughly a fifth of the world’s oil transported by sea.
The disruption has reverberated through energy markets, with crude prices jumping from about $70 per barrel before the fighting to more than $110 per barrel.
International criticism of the offensive has intensified, while analysts have warned that prolonged instability around the Strait of Hormuz could trigger severe global economic fallout.
During a Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable in Tennessee on March 23, Trump spoke to reporters and suggested that Hegseth was among the first to push for action.
Trump said: “I called a lot of our great people… and I said, ‘Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country known as Iran that, for 47 years, has been just a purveyor of terror, and they’re close to a nuclear weapon’.”
He then addressed Hegseth directly, adding: “And Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon’.”
As Trump turned toward him, Hegseth briefly smiled, but the expression faded quickly once Trump looked away.
Trump on who pushed for the war on Iran: "Pete Hegseth was the first one to speak up. He said, 'Let's do it.'" pic.twitter.com/SQ9OfufX4f
— Conflict Alarm (@ConflictAlarm) March 23, 2026
Trump went on to claim progress was possible, telling reporters: “I think they’re very good. They want peace to – they’ve agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon, you know etc., etc., but we’ll see. You have to get it done. But I would say there’s a very good chance.”
Economic pressure has already begun to build in the US, with mortgage rates previously climbing to 6.22 percent as concerns grew that rising oil costs could drive inflation higher.
Trump also referenced a Truth Social post in which he said he had temporarily lifted a ban related to Iranian oil. Prices dipped soon after, though they later began trending upward again.
Hegseth has continued to publicly back the war effort, including a request for $200 billion in funding tied to sustaining US operations against Iran.
“As far as $200bn, I think that number could move,” he said. “Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys.
“We’re going back to Congress and folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.”