Trump defends Hegseth amid impeachment push, calls him 'most responsible for the war' in Iran

US President Donald Trump has defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth against growing calls for his impeachment, questioning the push to remove an official he credited with playing a key role in the US military campaign against Iran.

Backing the administration's military intervention, Trump maintained that American strikes had destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure and prevented Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. He also argued that the operation had protected Israel and the wider Middle East.

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"We saved Israel and the Middle East. There would be no Israel even if we had not saved them from Iran," Trump said.

Dismissing the impeachment campaign against Hegseth, Trump questioned the rationale behind targeting the defence chief, saying, "And what are we going to do with one of the guys that was most responsible for the war, we want to impeach him."

The remarks came as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries backed an impeachment resolution against Hegseth, accusing him of misusing his authority, jeopardising national security and playing a central role in launching the conflict with Iran.

Speaking to ABC News, Jeffries confirmed his support for the resolution introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie. He said House Democrats would examine the proposal when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

"I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," Jeffries stated.

He also accused the secretary of war of contributing to an expensive military campaign that had driven up costs for American households and undermined the country's security.

"The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. Pete Hegseth has got to go," Jeffries remarked.

Jeffries further indicated that Democrats would seek to bring the conflict to an end if they regained control of Congress in January. He criticised the military operation as a costly undertaking that had added to the financial pressures facing ordinary Americans.

Hegseth, meanwhile, rejected the impeachment push, describing it as a politically driven effort to damage his reputation and remove him from office.

"It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me. You can rest assured of that," he said.

Massie first introduced the impeachment resolution against Hegseth in September. However, congressional leaders later postponed a planned vote on the measure, pushing its consideration until after the November midterm elections.