Pete Hegseth Dodges Questions on Leaked Intel Claims That Trump Lied About 'Obliterating' Iran's Missile Capacity
Pete Hegseth did not feel like answering questions about Iran's missile capabilities.s
May 12 2026, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Pete Hegseth was blown away on Capitol Hill, RadarOnline.com can report, as the Secretary of Defense was grilled by lawmakers about the cost and true progress of the war in Iran.
On Tuesday, May 12, Hegseth was not pleased when asked about Iran's remaining missile munitions.
Begging for More War Money
The Defense Secretary appeared on Capitol Hill to ask Congress for a bigger budget.
With the shaky ceasefire teetering, Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared in back-to-back hearings before the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees to ask for more money.
Hegseth said the war has already cost $20billion, while other U.S. officials believe the price tag could be closer to $50billion.
During his time under the gun, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy attacked Hegseth on newly leaked intelligence that claims Donald Trump has been lying about "obliterating" Iran's missile capacity.
Hegseth Dodges the Questions
There are conflicting reports over how many of Iran's missiles have actually been destroyed.
Murphy reminded him the president boasted that 70 percent of Iran's missiles had been destroyed, before bringing up a new public report that found that number to be only 30 percent.
When he asked Hegseth which figure was correct, the secretary snarled that he was "not validating leaked information that could be wrong or not wrong," while chastising that the hearing was not a "classified setting."
Hegseth Ramps Up Battle With Mark Kelly
Hegseth attacked Sen. Mark Kelly for allegedly 'leaking' classified information.
Hegseth has been touchy about revealing classified information regarding the ongoing conflict, and took special offense when Arizona Senator Mark Kelly publicly revealed details that claimed was from a classified Pentagon briefing.
Kelly opened up over the weekend on Face the Nation, when host Margaret Brennan asked the politician how depleted our own U.S. munitions currently are.
"The numbers are, I think it's fair to say it's shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines, because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline, and because of that, we've expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe, whether it's a conflict in the western Pacific with China or somewhere else in the world, the munitions are depleted."
"You may have seen me ask the Secretary of Defense this question about how long it's going to take to replenish. We're talking about years," he added.
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It Could Take 'Years' to Replenish Stockpile
There are concerns the U.S. could run out of crucial missiles.
Kelly's comments caught Hegseth's attention, as the former Fox News host raged on X: "'Captain' Mark Kelly Strikes again. Now he's blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a classified Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath...again? Department of War legal counsel will review."
Kelly was quick to respond and claimed, "We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago, and you said it would take 'years' to replenish some of these stockpiles."
"That's not classified, it's a quote from you. This war is coming at a serious cost, and you and the president still haven't explained to the American people what the goal is," Kelly added as he shared a video of the duo's brutal exchange late week at a Senate hearing, where Hegseth defended President Trump's 2027 defense budget.
