Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will make his first testimony before Congress on the Iran war as efforts to end the conflict stalled, with the United States reportedly sceptical of Tehran's latest offer to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Hegseth will face questioning from lawmakers on Wednesday for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran, which Democrats have contested as a costly conflict of choice waged without congressional approval.
House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this month, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors".
The hearing before the House Armed Services Committee is being held to discuss the administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defence spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.
Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, are expected to stress the need for more drones, missile defence systems and warships.
Democrats are likely to pivot to the ballooning costs of the Iran war, the huge drawdown of critical US munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children.
Some lawmakers also may question how prepared the military was to shoot down swarms of Iranian drones, some of which penetrated US defences and killed or wounded American troops.
While a ceasefire is now in place, the US and Israel launched the war on February 28 without congressional oversight.
House and Senate Democrats have failed to pass multiple war power resolutions that would have required President Donald Trump to halt the conflict until Congress authorises further action.
Republicans have said they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear programme, the potential for talks to resume and the high stakes of withdrawal.
Still, GOP lawmakers are eager for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on.
Hegseth has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the war, although he and Caine have held televised Pentagon briefings.
During a White House state dinner on Tuesday, Trump told Britain's King Charles III and other guests that Iran has been "militarily defeated".
He added that "Charles agrees with me even more than I do; we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon."
But an Iranian army spokesperson told state TV on Tuesday that "we do not consider the war to be over", saying Tehran had "no trust in America".
