“NOT OUR OBJECTIVE”: Pete Hegseth Distances U.S. From Israel’s Explosive Strikes on Tehran Oil Hubs
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses reports of U.S. dismay after Israeli strikes on Tehran’s oil infrastructure triggered "oily rain." Hegseth maintains the U.S. remains focused on military targets, not energy.
Recently, Israeli jets targeted five major fuel depots in and around Tehran, including the massive Tehran Refinery and the Shahran depot. The massive fires sent thick, toxic plumes into the atmosphere. On Sunday morning, March 8, residents reported "black rain"—heavy precipitation saturated with soot and unburned oil that coated cars and streets across the capital.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed reports that senior members of the Trump Administration were dismayed by Israel’s wide-scale bombing of oil infrastructure in and around the Iranian capital of Tehran.
“Well, I would just start by saying Israel has been a really strong partner in this effort. Where they have different objectives, they've pursued them. Ultimately, we've stayed focused on ours. But when Iran -- what Iran has felt is the power of the world's two most powerful air forces, in that particular case, that wasn't our -- those weren't our strikes or that objective, or that wasn't our -- necessarily our objective,” Hegseth stated.