Pete Hegseth: The War Against Iran and New Rules of Engagement

In the initial month of the ongoing conflict in Iran, Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has become one of the prominent figures in international news. This individual, recognized for his forthright statements, previously served as a host on Fox News and has not shied away from expressing his views on the rules of warfare, which he deems "nonsense." Hegseth has entered the Pentagon with the intent to instigate fundamental changes in its operations. He has declared war on what he calls the "bloated bureaucracy" and the policy of inclusivity, but he is likely to be remembered for his stance on the war against Iran, as reported by Olga Prosvirova for BBC News.

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In 2005, during the height of the Iraq War, Hegseth, then a 25-year-old lieutenant, arrived in Baghdad as a commander of an infantry platoon. The swift defeat of Saddam Hussein's regular army in the spring of 2003 did not yield the desired victory for the United States, as insurgent resistance grew, along with the American military presence in the country. Support for the war among Americans began to wane, and Hegseth, a graduate of the prestigious Princeton University, found himself in situations where he had to make difficult decisions.

Hegseth recalls how a military lawyer explained the rules of engagement to his platoon: even if the enemy possesses a grenade launcher, fire can only be opened when there is a clear intent to shoot. In his book, "The War On Warriors," Hegseth wrote that after this explanation, he gathered his soldiers and urged them not to succumb to this "nonsense." "Guys, if you see an enemy that you consider a threat, you open fire and eliminate that threat. This stupid rule is costing lives," he emphasized.

Today, two decades later, Pete Hegseth leads the U.S. Department of Defense, which during Donald Trump's second term was informally dubbed the "Department of War." "Modern fighters are battling lawyers as much as they are battling bad guys. Our enemies should receive bullets, not lawyers," Hegseth noted in his book. He has expressed disdain for the Geneva Conventions, which protect prisoners of war and civilians during conflicts, labeling them as "rules written 80 years ago by important men sitting in offices with mahogany furniture."

This approach to international law has resonated with Donald Trump and plays a significant role in the U.S. campaign against Iran. Pete Hegseth grew up in Forest Lake, a respectable town in Minnesota known for its picturesque lakes. His father worked as a basketball coach at a local school, while his mother was a business coach. Hegseth graduated as the top student from high school in 1999, even being entrusted with delivering the valedictory speech at the ceremony.

His high grades allowed him to enroll at Princeton to study political science, where he played on the basketball team, led a conservative student publication, and participated in the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. After graduating, he received a commission and became an infantry officer in the U.S. National Guard. In 2004, Hegseth underwent training at Fort Benning, one of the largest military bases in the United States, and was then deployed to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he commanded a platoon of New Jersey National Guard soldiers responsible for guarding detainees.

Hegseth spent less than a year at Guantanamo and later testified that he was never involved in torture. The military prison in Cuba has a reputation as one of the most horrific places in the world due to numerous documented abuses of detainees in the 2000s. "I was never involved in torture," he assured. In 2025, during Senate hearings for his confirmation as Secretary of Defense, he was reminded of his previous statements indicating that he had no objections to waterboarding (simulated drowning) of the 9/11 mastermind.

When directly asked if he considered such methods acceptable, Hegseth responded evasively: "Under the current laws of the country, waterboarding is prohibited." "We are a nation that conducts war in accordance with the law, and our men and women in uniform always act accordingly," Hegseth wrote in his book. "But too many people sitting in air-conditioned offices love to point fingers at those guys in dark and dangerous places, at those women in helicopters over enemy territory, who do what people in Washington would never dare to do."

Concerns about his views on torture were not the only issues that raised alarms among senators during Hegseth's confirmation to lead the world's most powerful military. After Guantanamo, where Pete Hegseth spent less than a year, he went to Iraq, and upon returning to the U.S., he explored new roles. He completed a master's degree at Harvard and even attempted to enter mainstream politics—participating in the Republican Senate primaries in 2012, but losing at the party convention.

Hegseth briefly led the veterans' organization Vets for Freedom. This experience can hardly be described as successful: under his leadership, the organization accrued significant debts, after which, as reported by the media, donors hired a financial auditor, and Hegseth was effectively removed from management. Subsequently, he voluntarily went to Afghanistan—but not to the front lines, rather to Kabul, where he served as a senior instructor at a counterinsurgency training center. After returning from Kabul, he led another veterans' organization—Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), and this experience became even more controversial.

In 2014, as reported by the New Yorker, Hegseth took staff members for a "break" to a strip club and became so intoxicated that colleagues had to restrain their leader. These events raised further concerns among senators considering his nomination as Secretary of Defense. Despite all the controversies and criticism, Hegseth continues to be an influential figure in American politics, and his views on warfare and international relations spark lively debates within society.