He didn't want it settled: Did Trump put Pete Hegseth on spot again over Iran war?

President Donald Trump has claimed the Iran war is effectively over but in the same breath, he appears to have found someone to blame for why it is not ending smoothly.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was among the few who were “quite disappointed” at the prospect of a US-negotiated ceasefire with Iran.

“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,” Trump said, in remarks that placed his own war chief directly in the firing line.

Trump made it clear that Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen Dan Caine were not exactly celebrating the prospect of peace.

“They were not interested in settlement. They were interested in just winning this thing,” he said, referring to Hegseth and top military leadership.

It was a striking moment, a sitting president publicly distancing himself from his defence secretary’s stance on an ongoing war, even as negotiations remain fragile and undefined.

PENTAGON’S BLUNT DOCTRINE: BOMBS FIRST, TALKS LATER

If Trump’s comments sounded like blame, Hegseth’s own words did little to soften the picture.

“We see ourselves as part of this negotiation as well. We negotiate with bombs,” he said, making clear the Pentagon’s view of how diplomacy should unfold.

That line has come to define the current approach, where ceasefire talks and continued military pressure are not opposites but parallel tracks.

Reports suggest defence leaders have been uneasy about halting operations too soon, favouring military dominance over a quick settlement.

A ‘WON’ WAR THAT IS STILL BEING FOUGHT

Trump insisted the war had already been decided.

“You know, I don’t like to say this, we’ve won this, because this war has been won,” he said, while blaming the “fake news” for suggesting otherwise.

Yet the contradiction is hard to ignore. Negotiations are ongoing. Military options remain on the table. And by Trump’s own admission, not everyone in his inner circle is ready to stop.

Since February 28, 13 US service members have died and 290 have been wounded. Thirty-five of those injured have not returned to duty, reported the Hill.

THE ‘GIFT’ AND THE GAP

Adding another layer, Trump revealed that Iran had made what he described as a “very big” oil and gas-related concession, possibly linked to the Strait of Hormuz, though he offered no specifics.

“They gave us a present and the present arrived today, and it was a very big present, worth a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

“It wasn’t nuclear, it was oil-and gas-related, and it was a very nice thing they did.”

But even that optimism sits awkwardly beside his decision to single out Hegseth, effectively suggesting that any delay in ending the war may lie not in Tehran, but within his own administration.

TALKS ON, TARGETS STILL ON THE TABLE

Despite the rhetoric of victory, negotiations appear to be ongoing. Trump said the United States was speaking to “the right people” in Iran and that Tehran was keen to reach a deal.

“We’re in negotiations right now,” he said, declining to share specifics.

Key figures involved include Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Pakistan has also stepped forward, offering to host talks between the two sides, a reminder that even as bombs fall, diplomacy still looks for a seat at the table.

A WAR THAT REFUSES A CLEAN ENDING

For now, the contradiction remains unresolved. A war that is “won”, a ceasefire that is not yet sealed, and a defence establishment that does not seem entirely convinced the job is done.

Or, as the president put it, perhaps more candidly than intended: some are already ready to move on, while others are still looking to finish what they started.

- Ends