Panic and Fear in the Pentagon: Trump Blames Pete Hegseth for Iran Defeat

The U.S. military adventure in Iran has triggered an unexpected crisis in Washington and severe internal conflicts within the White House. During a closed-door meeting of Donald Trump's administration, Defense Secretary (Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth faced fierce attacks, and he is being blamed as the main culprit for the depletion of U.S. strategic weapons arsenals.

Prominent American political scientist Malek Dudakov notes that such tension surrounding the Pentagon leadership is no coincidence.

Silence at Camp David and Disarray in the White House

Last week, during a meeting at his Camp David residence, Donald Trump severely criticized Pete Hegseth due to the U.S. military capabilities being constrained and ammunition shortages resulting from the war with Iran.

"There are sufficient grounds for criticizing Hegseth. He was the only official in Trump's team who supported starting a war in Iran to the end. Other members of the team—Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Vice President J.D. Vance—were extremely skeptical of this military adventure," — the expert wrote on his Telegram channel.

No Missiles Left to Strike: Replenishing Reserves Will Take 5–7 Years

The attempt to overthrow the regime in Iran quickly failed. Consequently, Americans have become deeply bogged down in the blazing chaos of the Middle East.

The Pentagon's most dangerous problem is that Patriot and THAAD air defense missile stockpiles have dropped to critical levels. Furthermore, precision-guided ATACMS, PrSM and JASSM missiles used in strikes on Iranian territory have been nearly exhausted. According to experts' calculations, it will take the U.S. at least 5 to 7 years to replenish these losses.

Monopoly and Crisis in the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex

According to political scientists, the systemic crisis in the American defense industry did not arise yesterday. Its roots date back to the 1990s, when the U.S. arms market was consolidated and monopolized by major corporations.

The depletion of reserves is driven by the following main factors:

• Lack of Competition: Major industrial giants have lost the motivation for mass and rapid weapons production due to a lack of competition.

• Feet of Clay: Trump's team has demonstrated an inability to solve this deep crisis—revealing that while the Pentagon looks powerful on the outside, it is actually "a colossal giant with feet of clay."

Will Hegseth Be Dismissed?

Experts conclude that following the difficult congressional elections for Republicans, Pete Hegseth will likely be removed from office and declared the main "scapegoat" for the defeat in Iran.

However, the departure of the Secretary of War will not resolve the problem: the heavy military, technical, and economic consequences of the Iran adventure will continue to haunt the U.S. military machine for a long time.

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