President Trump revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine were “quite disappointed” by the prospect of a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire with Iran, as reported by The Hill. The president stated in the Oval Office, following the swearing-in of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, that these two were “the only two people that were quite disappointed” the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Tehran might soon conclude.
“I think this thing’s going to be settled very soon and they go, ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’ Pete didn’t want it to be settled,” President Trump explained. He added that Hegseth and Caine weren’t interested in a settlement at all; they were focused on “just winning this thing.”
Hegseth, who was also present during the president’s remarks, chimed in with a rather direct comment about the Defense Department’s role. He stated that they “see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well. We negotiate with bombs.
This news comes as President Trump has been sending out some seriously contrasting signals regarding the war
One moment, he’s hinting that talks are underway and the conflict could wrap up quickly. The next, he’s suggesting new attacks on Tehran’s energy infrastructure could be on the table if negotiations don’t pan out.
On Tuesday, President Trump declared victory, citing Iran’s degraded military capability. He asserted that a regime change has already taken place, as many of the country’s top leaders were killed during the bombing campaign. Iran’s supreme leader was among those who died, though his son has since been appointed as the new supreme leader.
“You know, I don’t like to say this, we’ve won this, because this war has been won, the only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news,” President Trump said, taking a clear jab at the media coverage of the war, which many worry could destabilize the entire Middle East.
The human cost of this conflict has been significant for the U.S. Since the war began on February 28, 13 U.S. service members have tragically died. Another 290 have been wounded, according to Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command. Of those injured, 35 have yet to return to duty, which really puts things into perspective.
Published: Mar 25, 2026 03:30 pm