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Hegseth: What war? [1]

['Oliver Willis', 'View Profile']

Date: 2026-05-05  

Nearly a month after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that America had achieved victory against Iran, the two nations continue to fire on each other. And during a Tuesday press conference, he insisted that ongoing warfare is not war.

On April 8, Hegseth declared the conflict “a historic and overwhelming victory,” claiming that Iran’s navy, missile production capabilities, and air defenses had been destroyed. And despite claims of a ceasefire, Iran and the United States have continued attacking one another. On Monday alone, the two nations fired on each other’s ships amid Iran’s attempts to control naval traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has severely constrained global supplies of fuel.

But in Hegseth’s eyes, mutual attacks don’t count as a violation of the ceasefire.

“This is a separate and distinct project. We expected there would be some churn at the beginning,” Hegseth said at his Tuesday meeting with the media.

It is unclear how “churn” is different from ongoing war, which would violate a 60-day requirement that the Trump administration obtain congressional approval to continue operations. To evade the law’s deadline, the White House abruptly and falsely declared that hostilities were “terminated” as of this past Friday.

The administration’s spin is further undermined by reports that additional U.S. troops are being deployed to the region, presumably for more so-called “churn.”

Along with the war’s numerous American and Iranian casualties, its strain on the global fuel supply recently helped to eliminate Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations over this past weekend. Economists have said they expect more businesses to fold, all while consumers experience skyrocketing gas prices.

Instead of focusing on ending the conflict or alleviating its economic impact, the Trump administration and its Republican allies in Congress have renewed a push for a new ballroom at the White House. Republicans now want taxpayers to be on the hook for a reported $1 billion for the luxury expense.

For the Trump administration, a war is not a war, ceasefires are simultaneously in place and not, and victory has been achieved, even when it clearly hasn’t.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/5/800033429/news/hegseth-iran-war-ongonig-attacks-strait-hormuz/

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