Pete Hegseth Insists Trump Iran Deal Is Totally Different From Obama’s
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth crumbled when he tried to explain the difference between Donald Trump’s new deal with Iran and Barack Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Spoiler alert: there is none. Speaking on CBS News’s Face the Nation Sunday, Hegseth struggled to justify what the U.S. had actually won after months and months of mass destruction and global economic turmoil.“The document says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, won’t seek one, won’t buy one, won’t have one,” Hegseth explained. “JCPOA said that, too,” host Margaret Brennan pointed out.Pretty much verbatim, actually. The preface of Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal states: “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.” Hegseth scrambled to defend the new deal. “But they didn’t have the threat of military force the way that we do that Iran respects in a very—in a way that their regime is more devastated, more devastating, excuse me, more devastated than it’s ever been in its 47 years, and that’s why they’re at the table,” he ranted incoherently. HEGSETH: The document says Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, won't seek one, won't buy one, won't have oneBRENNAN: The JCPOA said that tooHEGSETH: But they didn't have the threat of military force the way we do that Iran respects. President Trump led with military might. pic.twitter.com/PQcS6hHhEe— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 14, 2026“The huge difference is, we did this from a position of strength. President Trump led with military might,” Hegseth added. “That military might will stay as long as necessary.”But let’s assess that military might, shall we? It will take at least three years and an estimated $24 billion for the United States to replace the munitions it expended during Trump’s military campaign against Iran. A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated a multi-year “window of vulnerability” for the United States in potential future conflicts. Hegseth denied that there were any shortages in the U.S. weapons stockpile. More to the point, the U.S. has demonstrated our unique powerlessness in the face of a regime that has been reminded it can control the Strait of Hormuz. And as for Iran’s regime, it’s far from being “devastated.” Not only was there no regime change, but the regime has arguably gotten even more extreme—and Trump is still ready to hand them billions of dollars.It’s increasingly apparent that Trump pulled out of the JCPOA, only to drag the United States into an expensive war that no one voted for and then walk away with an identical deal. The major difference this time? One $300 billion check for Tehran to rebuild everything Trump destroyed.
