Hegseth: Iran at Its Weakest Militarily, but Still a Regional Threat

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Tuesday that Iran was on the defensive, even as he declined to offer a timeline for when the war might end — and acknowledged that Tehran still poses a threat in the region.

Iran’s military capabilities are “at the weakest point militarily” after nearly two weeks of new American airstrikes, Hegseth said. And he insisted that the White House is achieving its objective of preventing Iran from rebuilding its nuclear weapons programs and terrorizing countries throughout the Middle East.

“They still have capabilities, no doubt,” he told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But the amount of damage that we’ve done to them over the course of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they’ve ever been.”

Hegseth’s appearance before the panel represented an attempt by the administration to sell the unpopular conflict as a necessary expense, one that the Defense secretary said has now totaled about $37.5 billion over the last five months.

He pressed lawmakers to supply supplemental funds as soon as possible to cover those expenses and preserve military readiness. But Senate Democratic appropriators questioned both the success of the war so far and the need for more military money, citing $75 billion in unused funds from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

They flatly rejected the administration’s request for $67 billion in supplemental funds before the end of the fiscal year in September, calling it a tacit approval of the administration’s decision to attack Iran.

“This administration has tried to sell this as an emergency request, but it may be better understood as an attempt to skirt the normal appropriations process,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “A lot of this request does not feel like an emergency.”

U.S. military forces have conducted 10 straight nights of strikes against Iranian military sites since President Donald Trump declared an end to the ceasefire between the countries. Central Command officials said the moves came in response to Iranian aggression against civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Three U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory strikes by Iran over the weekend. Trump has vowed to continue the assault until Iranian leaders submit to American demands.

Hegseth testified that some of the $37.5 billion in war costs — including military pay and personnel support — assume operations through Sept. 30. He cited compensation, mission critical fuel shortfalls and replacing equipment used in recent operations as the most urgent needs for funding.

Those costs would total about $21.3 billion, according to figures released by the Defense Department.

But the administration is also seeking almost $46 billion more for the multi-year procurement of high-demand munitions, hypersonics and counter-drone capabilities — all priorities that also demand near-term funding, Hegseth said.

The Pentagon chief panned former President Joe Biden for a “bureaucratic” and “negligent” approach to defense spending during the previous administration. In the final year of the Biden presidency, the defense budget rose by just 1 percent — less than the rate of inflation.

Hegseth also confirmed reports that China and Russia were assisting Iran in its fight against the U.S., telling lawmakers the two nations were “enabling some things Iran is doing.” The full extent of Beijing and Moscow’s involvement ought to remain classified, though, he said.

House lawmakers are attempting to push through a third budget reconciliation measure to cover the war costs, but Senate Republican appropriators have already cast doubt on how realistic that plan is. Both chambers are scheduled to break for the summer in the next few weeks, making passage of any war funding package unlikely.