Slain US Soldier's Dad Disputes Hegseth's Iran War Claims

Slain US Soldier's Dad Disputes Hegseth's Iran War Claims

The father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claim that bereaved families urged him to "finish" the job in the Middle East. Hegseth, a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that he had spoken with relatives of all six service members killed in last week's refueling tanker crash during a "dignified transfer" of their remains at Delaware's Dover air force station the night before.

However, the father of one of the fallen soldiers has disputed Hegseth's account, saying the defense secretary's statement was "completely false". The father, who asked not to be named, told The Guardian that he and other families were devastated by the loss of their loved ones and wanted peace, not escalation of the conflict with Iran.

Hegseth's comments came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran following a series of tit-for-tat attacks and the crash, which was initially blamed on mechanical failure. President Trump has vowed to "finish" the job against Iran, but the bereaved families appear to have a different perspective.

The father of the fallen soldier said the families were united in their grief and desire for an end to the conflict, not a continuation of military action. "We don't want any more of our kids to be killed," he said. "This has to stop." His comments challenge the narrative pushed by hawkish officials like Hegseth, who have used the deaths of US troops to justify further escalation of the Iran conflict.

The Iran war has taken a heavy toll on American families, with hundreds of US service members killed or wounded since the conflict began in 2019. As the political debate rages on, the voices of these grieving families serve as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war and the need for a diplomatic solution to end the bloodshed.