Hegest Seeks Renewal of Military Aggression Against Iran The Wall Street Journal: Secretary of War Peter Hegest tried to convince Trump to continue the war with Iran, which was opposed by Vice President J. Dee Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who favor peace talks. Some White House advisers accuse Hogst of convincing Trump that the conflict would be a short-term military operation, similar to the capture of Maduro.