US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed on Tuesday that the US-Iran ceasefire was active, even as lawmakers questioned him about whether there was a formal written agreement between the two sides, Anadolia reported.
Hegseth made the remarks alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine during testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, which was reviewing the Donald Trump administration’s proposed 2027 defense budget and discussing developments in the Iran conflict.
The sharpest exchange came when Rep. Pete Aguilar questioned Hegseth about testimony last month in which the Pentagon chief said the ceasefire effectively paused the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution.
“Who were the parties to the truce?” Aguilar asked.
“Well, we’re currently in the same ceasefire as we are now,” Hegseth replied.
Aguilar cut him off by saying, “That was not the question. Who are the parties to the ceasefire?”
“That would be the United States of America and the regime in Iran,” Hegseth replied.
The California Democrat then pushed for the details of the agreement, asking if the ceasefire had written terms or formal documentation.
“How many sites have a ceasefire? What points of agreement? How do we know a ceasefire is active or inactive without any documentation?” Aguilar asked.
“We know. It’s obvious and the ceasefire is in effect,” Hegseth said.
Aguilar went on to question whether lawmakers are simply expected to trust the administration’s assessment without seeing a formal framework.
“You simply believe that the president (Donald Trump) knows that the ceasefire is active or inactive?” Aguilar asked.
“As you know, for the most part, a truce means a cease fire, and we know that happened while the negotiations were going on,” Hegseth replied.
A Pakistani-brokered ceasefire came into effect on April 8, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended indefinitely by Trump.
Earlier in the hearing, Hegseth defended the administration’s broader military stance and proposed $1.5 trillion (€1.27 trillion) defense budget, calling it a “fiscally responsible budget” and a “war-fighting budget.”
“We are rebuilding a military that the American people can be proud of,” Hegseth said.
“One that instills nothing less than unrelenting fear in our adversaries and confidence in our allies. We fight to win in every scenario.”
The defense secretary argued that concerns about US weapons stockpiles were overblown after committee chairman Ken Calvert raised questions about ammunition spending and replenishment needs related to the ongoing operation.
“The issue of ammunition has been foolishly and unhealthily overstated,” Hegseth said.
“We know exactly what we have. We have enough of what we need.”
Rep. Betty McCollum later asked if the Pentagon had contingency plans in case the truce was broken.
“We have a plan for all of that,” Hegseth said.
“We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to fall back if necessary. We have a plan to move assets.”
He declined to publicly provide operational details, citing the mission’s sensitivity and the administration’s goal “to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb.”
(Vijesti.ba / Fena)
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