Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was holding a Pentagon press briefing on Wednesday to update reporters on the Iran ceasefire. However, he rebuked a reporter mid-briefing when she interrupted him while he was busy with another journalist. After asking the reporter, “Why are you so rude?” Hegseth told her to “just wait” before continuing with questions on the Iran and US-brokered ceasefire.
Hegseth had just finished answering questions on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and what he termed a “new regime” dynamic in Iran, when he turned to recognize another reporter. At that moment, another question was shouted from the room full of journalists.
“Excuse me, why are you so rude? Just wait. I’m calling on people,” Hegseth said, pausing the briefing to rebuke the reporter. “Thank you.” Pete then added under his breath, “So nasty.”
Q: You said the president ‘chose mercy.’ But you yourself said weeks ago that ‘we will give no quarter to Iranian troops.’ Do you think your comments may have put American troops at risk?
HEGSETH: No. I try to be nice up here, but you did listen to what I said, right? Typical… pic.twitter.com/2eb8VJBdsH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 8, 2026
The New York Post reported that, at that stage, the reporter he had initially addressed proceeded with her question. She referenced a recent statement from President Donald Trump relating to additional, potential military action on Iran.
“Yesterday, in the President’s Truth Social, he threatened to wipe out a civilization. That statement elicited a huge response in America,” she said. “If Iran did not come to the table and make a deal yesterday by the deadline, was the President really prepared to wipe out Iran entirely?”
25TH AMENDMENT!!!
Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization.
This is evil and madness. pic.twitter.com/2mdogDRZN4
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) April 7, 2026
The Secretary of War responded, explaining what he termed pre-positioned US military options. “Like I said, we had a target set locked and loaded of infrastructure, bridges, power plants,” Hegseth said. “Remember this is a terror regime. The military regime used all of these things for dual use to fund their military, to fund their terror campaigns.”
The question arose after Donald Trump on Tuesday shared his threat to “wipe out civilization” in Iran. After this action, several lawmakers took to X (formerly Twitter) to call for the invocation of the 25th Amendment.
The President had posted on Truth Social Tuesday, writing, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” he added.
“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” Trump signed off the post with these words.
Hours later, on Tuesday, a ceasefire announcement happened, in which Trump agreed to “suspend the bombing and attacks” on Iran for two weeks and even stated, “It is an Honor to have this long-term problem close to resolution.”
