Day 61: Hegseth Grilled for Six Hours in Congress on Iran War; Trump Warns Tehran to 'Get Smart Soon'

On Day 61 of the Iran War, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee for the first time since the conflict began — enduring nearly six hours of questioning on the war's legal basis, costs, conduct, and exit strategy. Democrats accused him of "lying to the American public." The war had cost an estimated $25 billion in 61 days. Trump publicly warned Iran to "get smart soon," reiterating that US envoys would not travel to Islamabad unless Tehran made a "serious" offer. Pakistan-mediated talks remained stalled as mediators awaited a revised Iranian proposal.

April 29, 2026 — Day 61 of the Iran War — produced the most detailed public accounting of the conflict's costs, legal basis, and strategic aims since fighting began on February 28, driven by Hegseth's first appearance before Congress. ## Hegseth's Six-Hour Congressional Ordeal Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine and Pentagon CFO Jules "Jay" Hurst. The delay — 61 days into the war before a single public congressional hearing — itself drew Democratic criticism as an abdication of oversight. The session lasted nearly six hours. Democrats were ferocious. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the committee, accused Hegseth of "lying to the American public" about war progress, stating the administration had consistently misrepresented the pace of negotiations and Iran's military degradation. Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) said directly: "Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one, and so has the president." Representative Ro Khanna raised the War Powers Resolution 60-day threshold — which had just expired the previous day — demanding the legal basis for continuing operations without congressional authorisation. Hegseth replied that the administration believed the operation fell within the president's constitutional authority as commander-in-chief, and that the legal question was "best placed with the White House counsel." Hegseth defended the operation as "one of the most precise, effective military operations in modern American history," citing the elimination of Iran's nuclear leadership, destruction of key ballistic missile facilities, and degradation of IRGC command structures. He deflected casualty questions citing operational security. ## War Cost: $25 Billion in 61 Days Pentagon CFO Hurst presented figures to the committee putting the total cost of the Iran war at $25 billion — a figure that drew bipartisan alarm. The Hindu's analysis noted the sum exceeded the entire first-year cost of the 2003 Iraq invasion. Hegseth defended the expenditure as justified by the elimination of Iran's nuclear threat. The committee pressed on the $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 Pentagon budget request submitted alongside the hearing — a record figure that included supplemental appropriations for Iran war operations. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked whether the administration had a "Plan B" if Iran refused nuclear negotiations. Hegseth replied: "Plan B is Plan A works." Al Jazeera's post-hearing analysis identified five key takeaways: no firm timeline for ending the blockade; Iran's nuclear program degraded but not destroyed; Pakistan was the only active diplomatic track; Lebanon operations would continue regardless of ceasefire; and a supplemental appropriation rather than a war authorisation was planned. ## Trump: Tehran Must "Get Smart Soon" While Hegseth testified, President Trump made public remarks warning Iran to "get smart soon" if it wanted to avoid further economic damage. "They have the ability to stop this very quickly," Trump said. "All they have to do is say — we give up the nuclear program. Done. Finished." He reiterated that US envoys would not travel to Pakistan for talks unless Iran made a "serious" offer — and said the latest Pakistani-mediated proposal fell "well short." ## Pakistan Mediation: Still Waiting Pakistani mediators in Islamabad continued waiting for a revised Iranian proposal that had been expected "in the next few days," according to diplomatic sources. The Witkoff-Kushner trip to Pakistan — announced April 24 and cancelled by Trump on April 25 after concluding the Iranian offer was inadequate — had left the diplomatic channel effectively dormant. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for talks to resume "without preconditions," but acknowledged Islamabad could not compel either side to the table. ## Oil Prices Continue Rising Brent crude extended its multi-day rally, closing above $120 per barrel, driven by trader conviction that the Strait of Hormuz would remain effectively closed for weeks rather than days. CNBC reported market participants were increasingly pricing in a prolonged dual blockade scenario. Gulf producers unable to ship freely through Hormuz faced compounding logistical costs even as the headline price rose. ## Eastern Perspectives Global Times cited Iranian parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf who mocked Trump's blockade, arguing that surging oil prices were "proof that economic aggression harms the aggressor too" — a counter-narrative widely amplified in non-Western media. Anadolu Agency reported that Turkey's foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador in Ankara, though this was in connection with Lebanon rather than the Iran war itself. India's The Hindu noted the Hegseth hearing had laid bare "the yawning gap between the administration's optimistic public framing and the operational realities visible to lawmakers."