Hegseth blasts Brits, says Iran's chaotic retaliation has driven its own allies 'into the American orbit'
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to strike neighboring countries has backfired strategically, driving Gulf states that had hoped to stay out of the conflict "into the...
By Fox News · Fox News
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Iran’s decision to strike neighboring countries has backfired strategically, driving Gulf states that had hoped to stay out of the conflict "into the American orbit" as the U.S. prepares to dramatically increase firepower over Tehran. "What Iran is doing by targeting allied countries that would otherwise want to stay out of this, they've actually pulled them into the American orbit," Hegseth said during a briefing at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. He cited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as countries now offering expanded cooperation, arguing that Tehran’s retaliatory campaign has strengthened regional alignment with Washington rather than weakened it. The comments come as U.S. military officials say Iran has launched strikes against a growing number of countries in the region since the conflict began, with CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper noting Tehran has targeted at least a dozen nations. THE FUTURE OF WAR? US-ISRAEL BLITZ ON IRAN UNVEILS NEXT-GEN ALLIED COMBAT Rather than isolating the United States, Hegseth suggested Iran’s actions are consolidating support for the campaign. "The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically," he said, pointing to additional basing access and increased bomber operations. Hegseth also addressed allied basing access, including the United Kingdom’s initial hesitation to grant U.S. forces early access to strategic facilities. PETE HEGSETH CRITICIZES 'FAKE NEWS' COVERAGE OF IRAN STRIKES, SAYS ONLY TRAGEDIES MAKE FRONT PAGE "It was unfortunate that … the Brits didn’t, from day one say, hey, go ahead and have access," he said. "But we got there, we got there. And that’s now part of the way that we’re operationalizing bomber runs … The amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically, and part of it is that we’re going to have even more basing." Gulf and Arab governments ha…