Trump: Pete Hegseth was first to say 'let's do it' on Iran strikes

US President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first to say "let's do it" when deciding to launch the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran. Speaking at the Safe Task Force summit in Memphis, Tennessee, Trump shared details of the critical decision-making moment that led to the operation.

Decision night

"We could continue like this and increase the death toll to 50,000, 55,000, even 60,000. There's no end to it! Or we could stop and take a small step toward the Middle East and eliminate this big problem entirely," Trump said. "I called Pete, I called General Caine. I said, let's talk. We have a problem in the Middle East, its name is Iran. They've been a source of terrorism for 47 years. And Pete, I think you were the first to speak, and you said 'let's do it.' Because you couldn't allow them to have nuclear weapons."

Nuclear threat justification

Trump emphasized that a nuclear-armed Iran was unacceptable, framing the operation as a necessary step to eliminate what he described as a long-standing source of regional instability and terrorism.

Conflict context

Israel and the US launched joint military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, while negotiations between Tehran and Washington were still ongoing. The strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and numerous senior Iranian officials. According to Iranian authorities, over 1,348 people have been killed and more than 17,000 injured in the attacks.

Iranian retaliation

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and other Gulf countries hosting US military assets. The conflict has expanded to include a ground offensive in Lebanon that has displaced over one million people, and the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, disrupting global energy supplies.