'Trump Wants Americans To Pay': Patty Murray Blasts Pete Hegseth Over Iran War Spending | US Senate

[00:00:00]How is it possible, if their capabilities were {quote} functionally destroyed 3 months earlier as you claimed, for them to be doing this now?

[00:00:09]>> Well, Senator, Iran is at the weakest point militarily it has ever been in uh in the past decade. Certainly, maybe in 47 years as they've gathered effectively a terror army. And that terror army was built to try to create conventional capabilities to defend against a pursuit of nuclear weapons, which meant thousands of ballistic missiles, many of which we have destroyed. Others of which they have put inside facilities and hidden in underground facilities. And that's what terror regimes would do. So, I acknowledge they still have capabilities, no doubt. Uh but, the amount of the amount of damage that we've done to them over the course of uh of the of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they've ever been.

[00:00:45]>> Okay. Well, let me move How did Iran shrink ship traffic in the strait to trip to a trickle again last week?

[00:00:52]>> We pushed almost, I believe, between 400 and 500 million barrels of oil under the nose of Iran over the course of Project Freedom, which went underground. I uh acknowledged after we did so covertly because it was more effective to do so quietly than to do so publicly. So, we've been uh in control of moving traffic through there for quite some time. Will they retain the ability to recklessly shoot at commercial shipping?

[00:01:13]And that's what happened. We had a ceasefire, and then they shot at commercial shipping >> Well, you also said at that same uh press conference, and I'm going to quote you, um you urged Iran to quote let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations, not to >> Iran to tax, toll, or control. Last week, President Trump said the US would charge a 20% toll to each ship to pass through the strait. So, based on your opposition to tolls, did you talk to the the President out of that idea? Or did someone else?

[00:01:45]>> Um Iran's not charging tolls, and they're shooting at ships right now.

[00:01:50]>> But, Trump said that he wanted to charge a 20% toll.

[00:01:54]>> Uh we we have a blockade right now of all Iranian ships and Iranian ports and uh it's it's effective.

[00:02:00]>> My time is out.

[00:02:02]Do you have a new estimate of what the war has cost us so far in this the fifth month of the first year of this war in Iran?

[00:02:09]>> Uh Senator, the estimate we have as of today's 37.5 billion.

[00:02:14]>> And is the current activity which we've been told about the exchange of fire back and forth in Iran an indication that number is going to go up in the months ahead?

[00:02:24]>> Um some of that number captures additional O&M mill pay and other that would be anticipated through the fiscal year. So some of that anticipates what costs would be going out in the future as well.

[00:02:33]>> So the new number you've given me is what?

[00:02:36]>> Uh 37.5 billion.

[00:02:38]>> And that represents the cost of the war through what period of time?

[00:02:43]>> Through now for certain aspects of it but also mill pay, O&M, other anticipated costs through September 30th, Senator.

[00:02:51]>> General Keane, let me ask you a question.

[00:02:53]>> Undertaking a historic effort like this of this scope and scale, of course the Strait of Hormuz was front and center in every single aspect of that. Hence why one of our key objectives to begin with was to sink the entirety of Iran's navy which its conventional navy was sunk. Now, you can't get rid of every single fast boat and every single machine gun out of a fast boat or every single coastal cruise missile. So we acknowledge that if the state decided to become a terror state shooting at commercial shipping, that would be an ongoing and contested part of the battle to include their willingness to mine international waters.

[00:03:24]>> Over compliance.

[00:03:26]>> weaponized the strait and we've been fighting back there.

[00:03:28]>> We were fully aware that the Strait of Hormuz could be closed and obviously sinking their ships has not affected their ability to effectively close the straits. Did it Did you in >> We had US boats that surrendered to Iranian ships under the Biden administration. So their navy was effective in executing the mission.

[00:03:46]>> a war you started, not a situation in which oil was flowing freely, there was no conflict. We weren't losing personnel as a result of Iranian action. So, uh your fallback to the Biden administration is just a very, very uh obvious excuse for what I think is probably, as you described so often, gross negligence. You did not fully inform the president that you would be in a situation where the Strait of Hormuz could be effectively closed, oil prices could surge, and effectively the Iranians could maintain their ability to strike back as they are right now. They just killed some of our servicemen last weekend.

[00:04:31]Uh >> This This battlefield and all the dynamics of it, of which the chairman and I are responsible for ensuring the president understands every branch and sequel of what could happen, and we did.

[00:04:40]>> So, if >> The fact that those contingencies all were part of the possibility, and we understood that, is all the more reason why President Trump deserves the kind of praise he should get for taking this effort, having the courage to ensure that crazy Islamists can't have a nuclear weapon to hold us at issue. And he's been willing to stake his life to that, regardless of the challenges.

[00:05:00]>> Excuse me. So, he should be praised. He should be praised for starting a war without authority, creating a situation in which the world economy is suffering tremendously. We have to have extra money for our farmers, and we have no outcome, at least no real realistic outcome in sight yet.

[00:05:20]>> Let me switch to General Keane. General Keane, >> I want to thank you for including fire >> The next step would be escalation by ground combat. Do you anticipate that excal- escalation?

[00:05:30]>> Sir, I I think it'd be unhelpful for me to opine on hypotheticals. What I can tell you is we always develop an unbelievable amount of options and the associated risks. And then my main job is to always ensure that leaders understand those options and the risks.

[00:05:46]>> Now, if you employ ground troops to seize objectives, which principle I would assume be the first stage, are you prepared for an extended guerrilla war which would likely happen in that area?

[00:05:57]>> Sir, I with all due respect, I think it'd be unhelpful for me to opine on hypothetical situations on whatever decisions the president may or may not take in the future.

[00:06:08]>> Have you advised the president that uh ground combat would be very expensive in lives of our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and also could probably lead to an extended uh uh uh unconventional war in that area. I don't see the Iranians sort of throwing their hands up saying, you know, "Welcome to Iran."

[00:06:32]>> Uh Senator, I always advise the president on a range of military options and all of the risks that are contained within that, but I have to keep my military advice to the president private, sir.

[00:06:44]>> Um are Russia and China uh helping Iran?

[00:06:50]And if so, how?

[00:06:54]>> Well, Senator, as the chairman alluded to, there's definitely adversary alignment uh and attempts to do so uh and there are many ways that we uh deter that, some of which are and and the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified and it should, but there are ways in which both of those countries are uh limiting uh at different levels uh enabling some of the things Iran is doing. Yes.

[00:07:19]>> General Keane, would you like to add?

[00:07:22]>> Sir, I'd rather um not opine on the specifics because that would divulge what we know, and I never want the adversary to know what I know. I just want to know it.

[00:07:34]>> And hopefully we'll get a chance to do that in the skiff.

[00:07:37]>> Yes, sir. Happy to happy to do that in the skiff, sir.

[00:07:40]>> This So, I want to thank President