Senator Jon Ossoff Challenges Pete Hegseth Over Claims Iran’s Military Was Destroyed
July 24, 2026
During a heated Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) repeatedly pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over contradictory statements made regarding the military campaign in Iran.
As the Pentagon requests nearly $88 billion in additional war funding, Ossoff called out the stark disconnect between past claims of total victory and the reality of an ongoing conflict.
Early in the conflict, Hegseth publicly declared that Iran’s military was “destroyed,” “combat ineffective for years to come,” and that the U.S. had “achieved every single objective.”
Ossoff questioned why tens of billions in additional emergency funding are required if the opponent’s air force, navy, and defense industrial base were already dismantled months ago.
When asked directly whether his previous declarations of victory and predictions of Iranian surrender were accurate, Hegseth repeatedly refused to give a simple yes-or-no answer.
When military leadership demands billions more from taxpayers while shifting the goalposts on past declarations of victory, public accountability is essential.
Source: @huffpost
#america #PeteHegseth #SenateHearing #Iran #fyp
English Script:
Jon Ossoff: On day 14 of this conflict in the second week of the conflict, you stated that Iran’s military had been “destroyed” and “made combat ineffective”. Was that an accurate statement? Yes or no? Iran’s ability to challenge the United States of America at the level at which we’re capable of.
Pete Hegseth: That’s not what I asked you, Mr. Secretary.
Jon Ossoff: You said on day 14, Iran’s military had been “destroyed” and “made combat ineffective”. Yes or no? Was that an accurate statement?
Pete Hegseth: What the American military has done to the Iranian military…
Jon Ossoff: Will you answer the question?
Pete Hegseth: is a historic military defeat…
Jon Ossoff: Will you answer the question under oath?
Pete Hegseth: Three weeks later, you declared victory. That was now nearly four months ago, three weeks after you had already said Iran’s military was destroyed and combat ineffective. You said: “Operation Epic Fury was a historic and overwhelming victory”. You said Iran’s military had been rendered “combat ineffective for years to come”. And you stated we had “achieved every single objective”. Were those accurate statements?
Jon Ossoff: It certainly was, on behalf of the men and women in uniform, a historic military victory over Iran.
Pete Hegseth: Had Iran ultimately been rendered, “combat ineffective for years to come?” That was a statement that you made four months ago.
Jon Ossoff: They had 160 naval vessels in the Blue Water Navy and they’re gone. You said four months ago…
Pete Hegseth: You need to answer your questions, Mr. Secretary. You said for months…
Jon Ossoff: The air force combat is completely ineffective and…
Pete Hegseth: You said four months ago…Excuse me Mr. Secretary.
Jon Ossoff: So describe to me a country that doesn’t have an Air Force, a Navy or a defense industrial base. And I will describe to you a country that does not have an effective military.
Pete Hegseth: Mr. Secretary, you stated four months ago that Iran’s military had been rendered “combat ineffective for years to come”. Has Iran’s military been for the last four months combat ineffective?
Jon Ossoff: It’s been set back not just years, but likely decades at the level it did before and not even close. It doesn’t have capabilities.
Pete Hegseth: Mr. Secretary, you stated we had “achieved every single objective”. Was that an accurate statement four months ago?
Jon Ossoff: The main objective of this was to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Their main sites were obliterated. We’re watching over them and we’re holding them at issue. If they don’t give them up at the table, there’s other ways we can tell them away.
Pete Hegseth: Mr. Secretary, early in the conflict, day three, you said one of those core objectives was to “destroy the missile threat”. And as you restated on day five to “obliterate Iran’s missiles in drones” those were clearly and repeatedly stated core objectives of the campaign, which four months ago you declared had been completed victoriously with every single objective achieved. Were those objectives achieved four months ago?
Jon Ossoff: No one ever stated that every single missile was gone.
