Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared annoyed Tuesday after a reporter asked him when President Trump decided to capitulate on his initial demands for Iran to surrender unconditionally.

In a tense exchange at a Pentagon press briefing, Newsmax’s James Rosen pointed to Trump’s changing justification for the war with Tehran which began on Feb. 28, initially offering his “gratitude and admiration” to Hegseth and U.S. forces before questioning the president’s shifting rhetoric.

“I want to first express my gratitude and admiration for the work you do and for everyone involved in our armed forces and also for the accomplishments of Operation Epic Fury, which I think are too often dismissed too lightly,” Rosen said to Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine.

“But those accomplishments don’t obscure, I think, a central default that has occurred here, and I would like you both to address it,” he added. “On the first day of this conflict, President Trump addressed the Iranian people directly and said, ‘when we’re finished, take over your government. It’ll be yours to take.’ And then on the seventh day of the conflict, in a Truth Social post, the president said, ‘There will be no deal with Iran except’ all caps, exclamation mark ‘UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!’”

Rosen continued: “What happens to that pledge to the Iranians? And when did the president decide to capitulate on his demand for unconditional surrender?”

Hegseth insisted that Trump “hasn’t capitulated on anything,” attacking Rosen for asking the question.

“James, I wouldn’t – You started out nicely, but you ended exactly where we knew you would end,” the defense chief responded.

“The president hasn’t capitulated on anything. He holds the cards, we maintain the upper hand, and Project Freedom only strengthens that hand,” Hegseth continued. “And so, he will ensure that whatever deal is made, or whatever end state is reached, creates ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, which is A No. 1.”

“And he’s been focused on that, and the deal and discussions are centered on that. And what the Iranian people take advantage of after the fact is up to them,” he added. “And he’s been very clear about that.”

Trump at the start of the conflict demanded unconditional surrender from Tehran, calling on the Iranian people to take back the country from the regime. As the Middle East conflict has continued, however, the president changed his tune, declaring that a regime change had been achieved as Iran’s original leaders were “decimated” and replaced by a new group of individuals.

The U.S. is currently in a fragile ceasefire agreement with Iran, which Trump extended indefinitely on April 21 to get the regime to come to a peace agreement. He has repeatedly claimed that the fighting is close to an end, even as he has continuously made new threats against Tehran.

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