Pete Hegseth lectures Iran on ‘spending money on weapons’ while waging war on Iran
In a press briefing regarding the Iran war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an interesting criticism against the Iranian government. An Iranian embassy quickly pointed out the contradiction in Hegseth’s statement.
“Iran seems to be treating US diplomatic outposts, embassies, and consulates like they are legitimate, hard targets in the region now. What is the Pentagon doing now to secure those assets, to stop those attacks?” A White House correspondent asked Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.
“We continue to be as assertive and as aggressive as we can against their ballistic missile capability and their short-range missile capability,” said Caine in response.
“So, they still retain some capability, and we have layered defenses through the region that will allow us to protect those,” Caine reassured regarding the state of diplomatic buildings in the Middle East. He added that the United States is currently helping allied Gulf states in boosting their defenses.
Then, Hegseth gave his insight.
“Iran is an energy-rich country. It could be, should be, like so many other places driven by a radical ideology. They’ve spent that money instead on investing in their people. That’s why you’ve had millions of Iranians protesting because they felt like their quality of life didn’t match what they could be or should be,” Hegseth critiqued.
Is he talking about the USA?
These comments from Hegseth earned many disgruntled comments online.
One X user said of Hegseth that he has the “self-awareness of a potato.”
But perhaps the most comedic response came from the official Embassy of Iran in South Africa. They replied to the first tweet, writing, “Disrespecting potatoes is a sin. Potatoes have many benefits for humanity, unlike this idiot of idiots.”
Meanwhile, a staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote, “68,000 Americans die a year because they can’t afford healthcare, 20% of kids in America live in poverty, half of older workers have no retirement savings, 60% live paycheck to paycheck, and Hegseth wants to spend $1.5 trillion a year on war.” He accuses Hegseth of “projecting.”
There are other expenditures that can induce growth and citizen satisfaction in the country. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is slated to cut an estimated $187 billion from SNAP through 2035. This budget could be otherwise used by low-income households to buy groceries. While the Trump administration is reluctant to spend on food, the Pentagon reported that the administration already spent $11.3 billion in the first week of the war with Iran. This is just the first week, and there is no end in sight for Trump and his cabinet.
Needless to say, if Hegseth wishes to speak about allocating the national budget to citizen-focused programs, he can’t be the one to deliver the message.
A man trying to reboot the Crusades
Moreover, Hegseth’s military commanders have allegedly been touting Christian rhetoric during the war. In a report by The Guardian, a complaint from a noncommissioned officer stated that they were urged to tell troops that the war is ‘all part of God’s divine plan.’ The report also claimed that the commander used the Book of Revelation, the end times, and the return of Jesus Christ in support of the war.
Putting the military aside, even Hegseth himself has questionable taste for tattoos. Notably, he has a “Deus Vult” tattoo on his bicep, which translates to “God wills it.” This was a battle cry for Catholics during the Crusades. It was historically chanted by the crowd when Pope Urban II called Western European Christians to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim control by the Seljuk Turks.
Hegseth could have gotten the tattoo for other reasons, but the historical implication can’t simply be brushed aside. Before pointing at others and accusing them of radicalism, he should first give the mirror a good, hard look.
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