US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the decision to launch military operations against Iran:
"Someone had to confront the Iranian regime in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. And for 47 years, no president was willing to do it. And then President Trump stood up and said, 'Not on my watch. '.
And it's going to be difficult because they are building a conventional missile defense the likes of which the world has never seen. They pursued North Korea's strategy: build so many capabilities that you can't stop us from getting nuclear weapons.
As the president so clearly points out, you can't let crazy Islamists get a nuclear bomb. The choice was either not to act and wish it away, or to take a bold step, which the president did with Operation Midnight Hammer and we did with Operation Epic Rage. I think it was the right move. ".