The media presence of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declined since President Donald Trump announced reaching a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war, after he was one of the most prominent advocates of the military option during the American and Israeli campaign against Tehran.
The Hill reported that Vice President J.D. Vance has taken the lead in defending the administration’s diplomatic approach, while Higseth merely confirmed that the military option would remain on the table if negotiations failed.
Trump had previously revealed that Hegseth was the first to advocate for strikes against Iran, while Vance was more hesitant. Analysts believe this reflects a deliberate division of roles within the administration, with Hegseth playing the "bad cop" during the war and Vance the "good cop" during negotiations.
Anthony Constantini, policy director at the conservative Paul Moss Project, said the defense secretary's job is to present military options to the president , not to lead negotiations, so it's only natural that he wouldn't be the main spokesperson on the agreement.
In contrast, Yvonne Chiu, a professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College, criticized Hegseth's absence from the debate on the agreement, arguing that he focuses more on military operations than on developing a long-term strategy to maintain stability in the region.
She added that a number of administration officials are also remaining silent because the agreement does not yield significant gains, especially with the negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, continuing to falter due to disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.
During the 39-day war, Higseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Keane held regular press conferences to present details of military operations, but since the signing of the memorandum of understanding on June 17, his appearances have been limited to warning that Washington is prepared to resume strikes if Iran does not abandon its nuclear program.
Alison McManus of the Center for American Progress reportedly believes that Higseth's diminished visibility is due to his lack of involvement in the negotiations and the absence of diplomatic achievements that the administration can promote.
Former US officer Jason Dempsey, however, believes that Hegseth has been avoiding tough statements so as not to contradict Trump’s approach of seeking an agreement, while retaining the military option if talks collapse.
Despite his diminished role in the Iranian file, Higseth continued his domestic activity and intensified his contacts with Congress to rally support for increased defense spending and to request additional funding to replace the munitions consumed by the United States during the war.
Meanwhile, press reports revealed that Hegseth and General Dan Keane discussed with Trump the possibility of carrying out new strikes against Iran, but the president preferred to continue negotiations, while emphasizing that the military option would remain on the table if the talks failed.
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