Democrat presses Hegseth and Caine on whether US is winning Iran warpublished at 17:10 BST
17:10 BST
Image source, Reuters
Democrat Seth Moulton asks Hegseth if he advised the president to launch attacks on Iran.
Hegseth says that the US president “got every perspective possible”, then turns the conversation to nuclear weapons, telling the committee to “imagine what the world would look like now” if Iran had a nuclear bomb.
Do you think the US is winning the war, Moulton asks.
Hegseth says “absolutely”, and says it’s been an “astounding military success” on the battlefield.
Moulton presses him on whether the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz could be perceived as winning: “So they blockaded us, and then we blockaded their blockade, that’s like saying ‘tag, you’re it'”, he says, and asks Caine if the military had planned for this.
The US military “always offer a full range of military options” that are “carefully considered”, Caine says.
Moulton asks if the effect on the “average American taxpayer” has been considered – which he says is around $600.
Hegseth says this war “won’t go on for years”, and asks instead: “What is the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon?”