Hegseth grilled over direction of Iran war and costs for Americans

Amna Nawaz:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified in back-to-back Capitol Hill hearings today, where he faced bipartisan frustration about the Iran war and its rising costs.

Geoff Bennett:

With neither the Americans nor the Iranians softening their demands, the president left today for a high-stakes visit to Iran's chief ally. That's China.

Mr. Trump will land in Beijing no closer to a resolution in the war he started and with a cease-fire dangling on what he said yesterday was massive life support.

Our Stephanie Sy starts our coverage.

Man:

Defense Subcommittee will come to order.

Stephanie Sy:

Amid a diplomatic deadlock with Iran, on Capitol Hill today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't get specific about which direction the war might be headed next.

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:

We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets.

Stephanie Sy:

Hegseth said the cease-fire President Trump yesterday called unbelievably weak was nonetheless still in effect. Even though military action is paused, the war's costs are mounting. That was a focus in a pair of congressional hearings today.

The Pentagon's top budget officials said the estimated price tag of the conflict had gone up substantially in less than two weeks from $25 billion.

Jules W. Hurst III, Chief Financial Officer, Defense Department:

And so now we think it's closer to 29. That's because of updated repair and replacement of equipment cost and also just general operational costs to keep people in theater.

Stephanie Sy:

In the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans expressed concern to Secretary Hegseth and other top military officials about the war and the soaring costs for American consumers due to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME):

It seems to me that there's been a different plan almost daily with dealing with this problem.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE):

My question remains, how do we reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping? If we control it, how do we reopen it? And your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day.

Stephanie Sy:

Whether progress is made in ending the war may hinge on a meeting in Beijing between President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping. China is Iran's largest oil customer.

Pete Hegseth:

I think the most influence is in President Trump's hands and what he decides to do, and he'll set terms of how this...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC):

Well, what if China stopped buying...

Pete Hegseth:

But, ultimately, China has a lot of leverage. You're right.

Sen. Lindsey Graham:

Yes, they do.

Stephanie Sy:

But Trump downplayed Xi's leverage as he departed for China today.

Question:

Do you think he needs to intervene at all with the Iranians?

President Donald Trump:

I don't think he does, no.

Question:

Do you think he can help in any way?

Donald Trump:

No, I don't think we need any help with Iran. We will win it one way or the other. We will win it peacefully or otherwise.

Stephanie Sy:

Iranian officials today said they were ready to resume talks, but not to acquiesce.

Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X: "The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it."

The president was asked about those rising prices outside the White House.

Donald Trump:

The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.

Stephanie Sy:

Meanwhile, key players in the region are urging de-escalation and diplomacy. Turkish and Qatari officials said the Strait of Hormuz should not be used as a weapon amid the ongoing conflict and urged parties to return to efforts led by intermediary Pakistan to find a negotiated end to the war.

But Pakistan's position is not straightforward, according to some on Capitol Hill. Senator Lindsey Graham addressed news reports that Pakistan is allowing Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields.

Sen. Lindsey Graham:

I don't trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them. If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere.

Stephanie Sy:

Another barrier in resolving the crisis, continued attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. The leader of the Iran-backed group, Naim Qassem, said in a written statement today: "We will not abandon the battlefield and we will turn it into hell for Israel."

Qassem called for Lebanon to withdraw from talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials set to resume this week in Washington.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Stephanie Sy.