Trump Team Eyes New Iran Strikes as House Targets War Secretary Hegseth
The U.S. military is preparing for possible large-scale combat against Iran while the House moves toward an impeachment vote on War Secretary Pete Hegseth over what critics call an illegal war.
The Iran war is now pressing Washington from two sides at once: planning for new combat and a looming impeachment fight over how the conflict began.
The U.S. military has quietly conducted small strikes on Iranian targets in recent weeks, hitting missile launchers and other equipment while trying to avoid casualties, according to accounts of internal administration discussions. Officials around President Donald Trump reportedly agreed to keep these operations out of public view, worried that acknowledging continued hostilities would hurt Republicans after they lost their full grip on Washington in the midterm elections.
At the same time, the Pentagon is finishing preparations for a possible major resumption of combat against Iran, including moving more U.S. assets into the region. That posture keeps open the option to move from low-profile strikes to a much broader campaign if Trump gives the order.
On Capitol Hill, patience with the war is fraying. Representative Thomas Massie says he will trigger a House vote next week to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth over what he calls an illegal war with Iran, and multiple Republican sources say the resolution is likely to pass. Senator Bernie Sanders is pressing Democrats to go further by defunding the conflict, calling it illegal and unconstitutional and pledging, “We’re going to stop that war.”
Inside the administration, Hegseth has reportedly urged Trump to continue the Iran campaign, drawing on a belief that it could resemble a short operation like the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are instead said to favor peace talks, seeing the war as risky and unpopular. Some White House advisers blame Hegseth for convincing Trump that Iran could be handled through a brief, decisive intervention.
Vance has reportedly warned Trump that the conflict is deeply unpopular and has privately accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “being wrong on everything” about Iran. Most senior Trump advisers are described as sharing Vance’s preference for a negotiated deal, but Trump is still weighing new strikes.
Qatari mediators in Doha are trying to head off a wider clash. They are working to secure a U.S.-Iranian understanding that would block renewed large-scale fighting and could reopen direct talks in the coming days, even as quiet U.S. strikes and domestic political pressure pull in opposite directions.
The key developments to watch now are whether Massie’s impeachment resolution against Hegseth passes, whether Qatari mediation produces any form of agreement, and whether U.S. operations shift from deniable strikes to more visible attacks. Each of those choices will shape how long the Iran war continues and who in Washington pays the political cost.
Sources
- OSINT