US Defence Secretary Describes Islam's Prophethood as Delusional, Citing It as Justification for Attacking Iran
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Iran as driven by a ‘delusion of Islam’s prophethood,’ arguing that such a regime cannot possess nuclear weapons. He made the remarks as he defended a major U.S. military operation against Tehran ordered by President Donald Trump.
Hegseth’s comments appeared to mock Iran’s Muslim population, most of whom adhere to Shia Islam and believe in the imminent coming of the Imam Mahdi, a belief rooted in hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad.
Speaking at a press conference, Hegseth said the operation, launched two days earlier under Trump’s direct orders, was the ‘deadliest, most complex and most precise air operation in history.’
He accused Iran’s leadership of waging a decades-long war against the United States through proxies and attacks on American targets in the Middle East. ‘We did not start this war, but under President Trump’s leadership, we have carried it out,’ he said.
’Hegseth said Trump had drawn a clear line after years of what he termed Iran’s aggressive posture and reiterated that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.
Hegseth has long been known as a television commentator who is strongly anti-Islam. He is also said to have a tattoo of the Arabic word ‘kafir’ on his arm. He remains appointed by Trump even though some lawmakers object to his track record. Since he took office, the official title of defence secretary has been changed to secretary of war.
The Islamic advocacy group CAIR condemned Hegseth’s rhetoric. ‘Every American should be highly concerned by the rhetoric of a ’holy war’ reportedly used by Secretary Hegseth, Benjamin Netanyahu and even several U.S. military commanders to justify a war against Iran,’ they wrote.
CAIR noted Netanyahu’s use of Biblical Amalek narratives to justify the mass killing of civilians in Iran, as seen in Gaza. ‘It is entirely unacceptable for U.S. officials and military commanders to advocate such dangerous rhetoric, which risks turning this illegal and deadly war into a religious war,’ the group said.
Hegseth’s mocking remarks about the ‘delusion of Islam’s prophethood,’ clearly referring to Shia beliefs about the coming of a figure near the end of days, were unacceptable, CAIR added. ‘So too are the military commanders who tell their troops that war with Iran is a biblically justified path to Armageddon. The illegal war must end, as must the dangerous religious rhetoric used by everyone from Pete Hegseth to Benjamin Netanyahu to justify it.’