Pete Hegseth revealed that he made a secret trip to an undisclosed area in the Middle East amid reports Donald Trump is preparing to order a ground invasion of Iran.
Hegseth said during a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday morning that he visited service members in the US Central Command area over the weekend.
The Defense Secretary refused to name the bases he visited so that they would not be targeted by Iran.
‘The trip was an honor. I had a chance to bear witness, and I witnessed the best of America. I witnessed warriors, a brotherhood of men and women, warriors all,’ Hegseth said.
‘Active duty guard and reserve, united in their love for each other, their shared purpose and their commitment to the mission…I witnessed sheer competency.’
Hegseth noted that the visit was a surprise for the troops who were unaware he planned to stop for the inspection.
‘It was not rehearsed or scripted. Sometimes we just wandered,’ Hegseth said. ‘What I witnessed was motivation. It was sheer mission focus. It was the American warrior unleashed.’
The secret trip comes amid reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks-long ground operations in Iran, potentially involving thousands of US soldiers and Marines. Special operations forces and conventional infantry units could be deployed if the President chooses to escalate the war.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted photos from his secret trip to the Middle East
Hegseth met with troops on the ground during his undisclosed trip
Hegseth revealed that he made a secret trip to an undisclosed area in the Middle East amid reports Trump is preparing for a ground invasion of Iran
Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7
The secret trip comes amid reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks-long ground operations in Iran, potentially involving thousands of US soldiers and Marines
Hegseth declined to tell reporters on Tuesday whether or not the US military will deploy ground troops against Iran.
‘You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground,’ he said.
Hegseth added: ‘Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.’
Trump has reportedly signaled he is willing to end the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The President yesterday threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants, oil wells, desalination plants and Kharg Island if the waterway is not opened ‘immediately’.
But according to the Wall Street Journal, he has told aides he would be willing to pull out of the conflict if the strait remains blocked.
The secretary of war posted photos after a top secret trip to the Middle East
Any US exit from the war without unblocking the strait will likely extend Tehran’s grip on the key oil route and leave a complex operation to reopen it for a later date.
It comes after the US unleashed devastating air strikes on an ammunition depot believed to house Iran’s enriched uranium.
While a massive Kuwaiti oil tanker full of fuel was struck by an Iranian drone while anchored in Dubai as violence continues to rage at the start of the fifth week of the conflict.
Trump posted video of the US strike in the city of Isfahan to his Truth Social page, showing the 2,000lb bombs that set off a series of explosions in the night sky.
The Defense Secretary refused to name the bases he visited so that Trump would not be targeted by Iran
Closing the Strait of Hormuz has proven relatively inexpensive for the regime, relying on drones and explosive suicide boats to disrupt global shipping
Hegseth mocked US allies during his Tuesday briefing
The President did not provide any information about the enormous explosion with the video on his social media post.
An American official confirmed that the video showed the bunker buster strikes on Isfahan.
The US strikes came after reports Trump is considering a military operation to send special operations forces deep inside Iran to seize its stockpile of enriched uranium at sites that include Isfahan.
Fire-tracking satellites from NASA suggest the explosions happened near Mount Soffeh, an area believed to have military positions.
The videos show massive fireballs and secondary explosions, common with ammunition, igniting in a blaze. Iran has not formally acknowledged the attack.
Isfahan is home to one of three uranium enrichment sites bombed by the US during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June last year.
