The American death toll in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran climbed to 13 on Friday, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would like everyone to tell him he’s doing a very good job.
The Department of Defense announced on Friday that six members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft crew were killed in a crash in western Iraq. According to a public statement from CENTCOM, “the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
Shortly after the announcement, Hegseth spoke at a Pentagon press conference, where he struggled to answer questions about the incident and American casualties, instead berating the press for its critical coverage of the costly war.
“We will keep pressing, we will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” Hegseth said. “Yet some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop.”
“I used to be in that business,” Hegseth said, referring to his years as a Fox News host. “I know that everything is written intentionally. For example, a banner or a headline, ‘Mideast War Intensifies,’ splashing on the screen the last couple of days, alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has hit because that’s what they do. What should the banner read instead? How about ‘Iran Increasingly Desperate,’ because they are.”.
Hegseth then honed in on his longtime media nemesis: CNN.
“More fake news from CNN. Reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war‘s impact on the Strait of Hormuz. Patently ridiculous, of course,” Hegseth said, referencing reporting that officials within the Defense Department had underestimated Iran’s willingness to blockade the critical commercial strait, causing wild fluctuations in global energy prices. Hegseth added that he looks forward to Trump-aligned billionaire David Ellison taking control of the network.
And yet, despite Hegseth and the administration’s insistence that the Iranian regime has been crippled and rendered ineffective, the Secretary of Defense went on to say that the only reason the strait remained closed was that Iran continued to be a threat.
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“The only thing prohibiting transit in [Hormuz] right now is Iran shooting at shipping,” he said. “It is open for transit should Iran not do that.”
When Hegseth was asked point blank how many casualties had been taken by American forces, and where the death and injuries had taken place, Hegseth deferred to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, who said that the “large large majority” of injuries had been “return to duty” incidents.
All in all, Hegseth spent more time complaining about how he and the war were being perceived by the national media than discussing the death of service members under his command.
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“War is hell. War is chaos,” Hegseth said. “As we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen.”
Bad things can indeed happen, and as the conflict with Iran plunges into its third week, what was initially described as a targeted operation is costing more Americans their lives. Meanwhile, Hegseth’s staff has been obsessively focused on how he’s being photographed, while the Secretary of Defense is prioritizing dressing down reporters who refuse to congratulate him for the mess the administration has made for themselves.
