US war secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said that the United States will do “what is necessary” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as he was repeatedly heckled by anti-war protesters during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Association of the US Army in Washington, DC.
“The protesters spouting off slogans – Iran really will never have a nuclear weapon,” Hegseth said during the panel, according to Al Jazeera.
According to the New York Post, protesters interrupted Hegseth’s appearance at least five times during the first half hour of the discussion, calling him a “war criminal”, a “coward” and a “Nazi” in protest against the Iran war and Israel-Palestine conflict.
“You’re not a warrior you’re a coward!” one demonstrator shouted at Hegseth. “Children in Gaza are starving! He is a war criminal!”
“She thinks highly of me,” Hegseth responded after one outburst, drawing brief applause from the audience.
As protesters continued to interrupt the discussion at intervals, Hegseth remarked, “Appears we have a bit of a tactic.”
The demonstrators were forcibly removed by security personnel, with at least one woman being carried out of the room by multiple officers while continuing to shout, the New York Post reported.