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Pete Hegseth: “Because of the latitude the president has given us, American…”

Featuring: Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense | National

In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran

Published March 31, 2026 | Video Starts at 06:35

President Trump is doing what no other president had the guts to do. Previous presidents were all talk. He's all action on the battlefield. Because of the latitude the president has given us, American firepower is only increasing. Iran's decreasing. We have more and more options, and they have less. Just one month. In only one month, we set the terms. The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that. (06:35–06:44)

CLAIM

Asserts that U.S. military capabilities are increasing while Iran's are decreasing due to presidential directives.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Pete Hegseth

“The army targeting team found and sunk the pride and joy of the Iranian Navy.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 02:48-02:58
“Admiral Cooper noted that the three Air Force captains shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire never left the theater.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 05:28-05:37
“Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 07:45-07:50
“Our defense industrial base is more vibrant today than it's been since World War II and growing rapidly.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 20:36-20:42
“Their [Iran's] ability to reconstitute the weapons of war they're using now that they're hiding in underground facilities and attriting over…”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 00:50-20:59
“Air Force and Navy pilots deliver bombs deep into Iran and shoot down drones defending their base.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 01:13-01:26
“President Trump is doing what no other president had the guts to do. Previous presidents were all talk.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 06:23-06:32
“In only one month, we set the terms. The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 06:48-06:57
“The last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 07:06-07:12
“We recently destroyed another one of their command bunkers.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 07:17-07:21
“Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages, and causing…”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 07:33-07:44
“President Trump will make a deal. He is willing, and the terms of the deal are known to them [Iran].”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 08:49-08:55
“No one has rebuilt that defense industrial base faster and with more purpose than President Trump in his first term.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 20:27-20:34
“Iran's defense industrial base is nearly completely destroyed.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 20:42-20:48
“There are many more vessels flowing through [the Strait of Hormuz] today than there were, as the President has arranged.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 21:40-21:46
“President Trump's been willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of Iran.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 22:35-22:40
“We have done the lion's share of preparation to ensure that [the Strait of Hormuz] will be open.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 22:43-22:48
“The first thing we did was set up a defense and make sure our defensive capabilities were maxed out before any of this even started.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 23:52-23:59
“Rapidly fielding [bunkers] and then improving those positions is a theater priority, no doubt, as are the air defenses and the layered air…”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 24:18-24:27
“They are very real, they are ongoing, they're active and, I think, gaining strength.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 25:50-25:57
“We would much prefer to get a deal if Iran was willing to relinquish material they have and ambitions they have.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 25:58-26:06
“Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 27:40-27:43
“Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 29:12-29:18
“President Trump to call them out for what they are, he's not going to repeat those lessons [of Iraq and Afghanistan].”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 29:35-29:45
“We have our own goals and guidance, and things were military objectives that we're moving toward.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 30:38-30:43
“It will be the President's determination and the President's determination alone when those objectives are complete.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 31:00-31:07
“To make sure that Iran doesn't have a nuclear capability.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 31:11-31:14
“Al Qaeda remains our enemy, obviously, and there are a lot of people on our target list in Iran.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 32:59-33:07
“We remain committed to a conflict that ends on our terms and the President's terms.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 34:12-34:17
“A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 34:25-34:32
“They're getting a back and forth on terms, which is a productive development.”
In full: Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on Iran | Uploaded March 31, 2026 | 35:58-36:04