Father of killed US military member disputes Hegseth’s claim he said to ‘finish’ the job in Iran
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Defense Secretary Hegseth's account of speaking with families of fallen service members about Iran operations is disputed.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Thursday that relatives of six U.S. military members killed in a refueling tanker crash in Iran told him to "finish the job" in the Middle East, but the father of one of the deceased service members has disputed that account. Hegseth made the remarks at a Pentagon briefing while discussing the recent incident. The contradiction raises questions about how Hegseth characterized his conversations with grieving families and whether his account accurately reflected what they communicated to him. The dispute centers on a sensitive matter—military response to Iran operations—at a time when the Trump administration has been asserting a more assertive posture in the region. The incident underscores tensions between senior defense officials and families of fallen service members over how their words and intentions are being represented publicly.
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