As the conflict with Iran moves into its fourth week, scrutiny has grown over how the decision to launch strikes was reached after President Donald Trump gave shifting accounts of events. Speaking at a Tennessee roundtable, Trump suggested that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first official to press for military action, saying Hegseth urged a strike to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The comment adds to a pattern of inconsistent explanations coming from the administration. Officials and spokespeople have offered different rationales for the operation — from saying Israeli moves made U.S. intervention unavoidable to claiming Iran was poised to deploy a nuclear device. Trump described consultations with senior advisers and military leaders, framing the choice as acting to remove a major regional threat rather than doing nothing.
That account, however, has clashed with other statements from the administration. Hours before singling out Hegseth, Trump told reporters he had been surprised by Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, saying ‘‘nobody was even thinking about it,’’ a remark that contradicts reporting that U.S. officials had received warnings of possible Iranian responses.
Hegseth has emerged as the public face of the campaign, laying out aims such as degrading Iran’s missile and drone capabilities and reducing its naval reach. He has defended the operation in media appearances even as the conflict has broadened regionally and resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. When asked for a timetable, Hegseth declined to provide specifics, saying only that the mission remains ‘‘on track.’’
Trump also said Vice President J.D. Vance was less enthusiastic about the strikes, though Vance has not publicly registered dissent. Reports of differing views extend across Washington: some outside figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and media executive Rupert Murdoch, reportedly supported military action, while other officials urged caution.
Those internal divisions have had consequences. Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned last week — the first senior official known to step down over the campaign.
Despite the fighting, the president has at times raised the possibility of negotiations, suggesting talks could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and naming potential intermediaries such as Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff; Iran has denied any such discussions. Trump initially set a deadline for Iran to meet U.S. demands or face further strikes, but that deadline has been extended by five days.
Social media amplified Trump’s Tennessee remarks, with posts quoting him telling Hegseth that he ‘‘was the first one to speak up’’ and urging action, saying, in effect, ‘Let’s do it.’ The evolving explanations and visible disagreements inside and outside the administration have left questions about who drove the decision and how future steps will be decided as the situation escalates in the region.
