Hegseth says Iran war not becoming a 'forever war' or 'quagmire'

Tony Capaccio and Courtney McBride, Bloomberg News on Mar 19, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against criticism the U.S. war on Iran risked becoming a military “quagmire,” as Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure pushed energy prices even higher on Thursday.

“The media here — not all of it, but much of it — wants you to think, just 19 days into this conflict, that we’re somehow spinning toward an endless abyss or a forever war or quagmire,” Hegseth said at a news conference on Thursday morning. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Hegseth said the U.S. was “winning decisively” — destroying Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, their navy and submarines. He declined to answer a question about a specific time frame, but said the U.S. is “on plan” with a “clear set of objectives” and would end the conflict at a time of “the president’s choosing, ultimately.”

Hegseth also hit out at European allies, who have largely shunned President Donald Trump’s request to help police the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian threats that have effectively closed a waterway that’s vital for global oil and gas tanker traffic.

“The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press, should be saying one thing to President Trump — thank you,” Hegseth said.

The comments come as E.U. leaders were meeting in Brussels on Thursday, with some of the heads of state maintainng the war was “illegal” and “pointless.”

“The situation in Iran is becoming unsustainable,” Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said ahead of the meeting. “We need to do everything to protect energy infrastructure and for this pointless war to end as soon as possible.”