Hegseth calls NK's nuclear program 'lesson' as he defends Iran operation

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies before Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine, Under Secretary of Defense (CFO), Jules Hurst III, before the House Armed Services Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. EPA-YonhapWASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday described North Korea's menacing nuclear program as "the lesson" to learn, as he defended the U.S. military operation against Iran, which a Pentagon official said has cost an estimated $25 billion.Hegseth made the remarks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, stressing that Iran's strategy to build nuclear weapons mirrors that of North Korea, as he pointed out that like Pyongyang, Tehran had been building a "conventional shield" of missiles to double down…

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