Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bizarrely claimed in a live Pentagon address that the U.S. did not “start” the war with Iran. Hegseth, in his platitude-filled broadcast message on Monday morning, said Iran has carried out attacks for decades in a “one-sided war against America,” without offering much in the way of specifics. “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” the former Fox News host added. Elsewhere in the communique, he said the goal of the so-called “Operation Epic Fury” was not regime change, even though the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini was killed in an early strike. “This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it,” Hegseth crowed. He also rolled out his usual spiel, railing against “politically correct wars” and saying that the Iran offensive is bound by “no stupid rules of engagement.” The address was the first from the Pentagon since December 2 last year.
