War Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that US forces are not in danger amid reports that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran to help Tehran fight back as Operation Epic Fury rages on.
Hegseth told “60 Minutes” that the US is “tracking everything” and feeding it straight into battle plans, brushing off claims that any intelligence sharing between Iran and Russia puts American troops at risk.
“Our commanders are aware of everything, we have the best intelligence in the world,” he told the outlet in a brief clip previewing his Sunday interview.
“We’re aware of who’s talking to who, why they’re talking to them, how accurate that information might be, how we factor that into our battle plans … so we know what’s going on,” Hegseth continued.
“So the American people can rest assured their commander in chief is well aware of who’s talking to who, and anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in the public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
Reports emerged Friday that the Kremlin has handed the Islamic Republic the locations of American warships, aircraft, and other military assets since the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes Saturday.
Hegseth stressed that Russia’s alleged involvement isn’t a threat to US troops and personnel – and added it’s not something he’s “concerned” about.
“No one’s putting us in danger,” he said.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the United States’ airstrikes on Iran:
“We’re putting the other guys in danger, and that’s our job. So we’re not concerned about that. But the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re going to live.”
Since the war began, Iran has launched thousands of drones and missiles at US military bases, diplomatic sites and allied installations across the Middle East – with attacks hitting as many as 12 countries in the region, according to the military’s Central Command (CENTCOM)
Six Army Reserve soldiers were also killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
The Kremlin has denounced the attack on Iran as “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state.”
Despite the Russian assistance, both President Trump and Hegseth have declared that the US military has established “total dominance” over Iran — and that the Islamic Republic has already “lost everything.”
