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Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing on April 8, 2026.
(Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
'We Were Locked and Loaded': Hegseth Says Trump War Crime Threats Were No Bluff
"Anyone who orders, carries out, or is otherwise complicit in, President Trump’s abhorrent threats must be held accountable," said a coalition of advocacy organizations.
Apr 08, 2026
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's genocidal threats against Iran were not a bluff, telling reporters in the wake of a two-week ceasefire deal that US forces were fully prepared to unleash an illegal and devastating assault on Iranian infrastructure.
"Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure—targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild," Hegseth told reporters during a characteristically belligerent press briefing. "We were locked and loaded... President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes."
Hegseth: If Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure—we were locked and loaded. They couldn't defend against it. President Trump chose mercy because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming… pic.twitter.com/QMklWNM8PH
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 8, 2026
Hegseth—who, like Trump, is facing articles of impeachment in the US House—went on to say that American forces aren't "going anywhere" and are "prepared to restart" the bombing of Iran "at a moment's notice," echoing the president and underscoring the fragility of the newly announced ceasefire.
"The United States military has the ability to strike [Iran] with impunity," the Pentagon secretary declared, asserting that the president's threats forced Iran to the negotiating table—a narrative that Iranian leaders rejected in their statement on the ceasefire deal.
"The enemy, in its cowardly, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat," Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement. "We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasize that until the details of this victory are finalized, there remains a need for the steadfastness and prudence of officials and the maintenance of unity and solidarity among the Iranian people."
The Trump administration's past and continued threats to attack Iran's infrastructure—even if they aren't ultimately carried out—are violations of international law, Yale Law School professor Oona Hathaway said Wednesday, pointing to the Geneva Conventions.
"Threats of use of force also violate the United Nations Charter," said Hathaway, a former special counsel at the Pentagon. "Moreover, the threat to commit mass war crimes raises questions as to whether the US is fighting the war consistent with its legal obligations. It gives insight into intent that may be relevant to war crimes investigations."
In a statement issued shortly before the two-week ceasefire was announced, a broad coalition of more than 200 organizations and experts reminded "those engaged in military operations of their obligation to refuse any patently unlawful orders."
"Anyone who orders, carries out, or is otherwise complicit in, President Trump’s abhorrent threats must be held accountable," the groups said.
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Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's genocidal threats against Iran were not a bluff, telling reporters in the wake of a two-week ceasefire deal that US forces were fully prepared to unleash an illegal and devastating assault on Iranian infrastructure.
"Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure—targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild," Hegseth told reporters during a characteristically belligerent press briefing. "We were locked and loaded... President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes."
Hegseth: If Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure—we were locked and loaded. They couldn't defend against it. President Trump chose mercy because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming… pic.twitter.com/QMklWNM8PH
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 8, 2026
Hegseth—who, like Trump, is facing articles of impeachment in the US House—went on to say that American forces aren't "going anywhere" and are "prepared to restart" the bombing of Iran "at a moment's notice," echoing the president and underscoring the fragility of the newly announced ceasefire.
"The United States military has the ability to strike [Iran] with impunity," the Pentagon secretary declared, asserting that the president's threats forced Iran to the negotiating table—a narrative that Iranian leaders rejected in their statement on the ceasefire deal.
"The enemy, in its cowardly, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat," Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement. "We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasize that until the details of this victory are finalized, there remains a need for the steadfastness and prudence of officials and the maintenance of unity and solidarity among the Iranian people."
The Trump administration's past and continued threats to attack Iran's infrastructure—even if they aren't ultimately carried out—are violations of international law, Yale Law School professor Oona Hathaway said Wednesday, pointing to the Geneva Conventions.
"Threats of use of force also violate the United Nations Charter," said Hathaway, a former special counsel at the Pentagon. "Moreover, the threat to commit mass war crimes raises questions as to whether the US is fighting the war consistent with its legal obligations. It gives insight into intent that may be relevant to war crimes investigations."
In a statement issued shortly before the two-week ceasefire was announced, a broad coalition of more than 200 organizations and experts reminded "those engaged in military operations of their obligation to refuse any patently unlawful orders."
"Anyone who orders, carries out, or is otherwise complicit in, President Trump’s abhorrent threats must be held accountable," the groups said.
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's genocidal threats against Iran were not a bluff, telling reporters in the wake of a two-week ceasefire deal that US forces were fully prepared to unleash an illegal and devastating assault on Iranian infrastructure.
"Had Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges, and oil and energy infrastructure—targets they could not defend and could not realistically rebuild," Hegseth told reporters during a characteristically belligerent press briefing. "We were locked and loaded... President Trump had the power to cripple Iran's entire economy in minutes."
Hegseth: If Iran refused our terms, the next targets would have been their power plants, their bridges and oil and energy infrastructure—we were locked and loaded. They couldn't defend against it. President Trump chose mercy because Iran accepted the ceasefire under overwhelming… pic.twitter.com/QMklWNM8PH
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 8, 2026
Hegseth—who, like Trump, is facing articles of impeachment in the US House—went on to say that American forces aren't "going anywhere" and are "prepared to restart" the bombing of Iran "at a moment's notice," echoing the president and underscoring the fragility of the newly announced ceasefire.
"The United States military has the ability to strike [Iran] with impunity," the Pentagon secretary declared, asserting that the president's threats forced Iran to the negotiating table—a narrative that Iranian leaders rejected in their statement on the ceasefire deal.
"The enemy, in its cowardly, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat," Iran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement. "We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasize that until the details of this victory are finalized, there remains a need for the steadfastness and prudence of officials and the maintenance of unity and solidarity among the Iranian people."
The Trump administration's past and continued threats to attack Iran's infrastructure—even if they aren't ultimately carried out—are violations of international law, Yale Law School professor Oona Hathaway said Wednesday, pointing to the Geneva Conventions.
"Threats of use of force also violate the United Nations Charter," said Hathaway, a former special counsel at the Pentagon. "Moreover, the threat to commit mass war crimes raises questions as to whether the US is fighting the war consistent with its legal obligations. It gives insight into intent that may be relevant to war crimes investigations."
In a statement issued shortly before the two-week ceasefire was announced, a broad coalition of more than 200 organizations and experts reminded "those engaged in military operations of their obligation to refuse any patently unlawful orders."
"Anyone who orders, carries out, or is otherwise complicit in, President Trump’s abhorrent threats must be held accountable," the groups said.
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