‘Let’s do it’: Trump pins Iran strike decision on Pete in explosive claim

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was the “first one” to suggest a possible attack on Iran when he discussed what he described as the “problem in the Middle East” with his close group of advisers.

Speaking at the Memphis Safe Task Force Roundtable in Tennessee on Monday, Trump recounted that he had convened multiple senior officials, including Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen Dan Caine, to assess the situation in Iran before arriving at a decision. He described the discussions as wide-ranging and aimed at evaluating potential responses to what he characterized as a growing regional threat.

“I called Pete, I called General Caine. I called a lot of our great people… And I said, ‘Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country, known as Iran, that for 47 years has been just a purveyor of terror, and they’re very close to having a nuclear weapon. We can keep going and get that 50,000 up to 55 and 60, there’s no end, or we can take a stop and make a little journey into the Middle East and eliminate a big problem,” Trump said during the event.

The US president, who has faced criticism domestically over his administration’s posture toward Iran, also praised Hegseth’s responsiveness during the consultation process. According to Trump, Hegseth was among the first to react decisively when the topic of possible military action was raised.

“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up and you said let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” he said, attributing a key moment of agreement to Hegseth’s position.

Trump further emphasized that the decision-making process involved input from multiple senior figures across the US defense and military establishment, suggesting that the final course of action followed internal discussions rather than a unilateral directive.

Earlier, Trump also addressed developments related to Iran on social media, stating that he had extended the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically significant maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. He added that the United States would temporarily hold off on potential strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure for a period of five days. The US president did not provide additional operational details but indicated that diplomatic channels may still be active.