Hegseth says anyone helping Iran's war efforts will be "confronted strongly"

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that President Trump is "well alert of who's talking to who" amid reports that Russia is providing quality to Iran connected U.S. movements successful the region.

Hegseth told Major Garrett successful an interrogation airing Sunday connected "60 Minutes" that the U.S. is "tracking everything" and factoring it into conflict plans. "The American radical tin remainder assured their commander-in-chief is good alert of who's talking to who," helium said. "And thing that shouldn't beryllium happening, whether it's successful nationalist oregon back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly."

Earlier Friday, aggregate sources, including a elder U.S. official, told CBS News that Russia is providing quality to Iran regarding U.S. positions successful the Middle East during the ongoing associated U.S. and Israeli subject operations successful Iran. It was the archetypal known denotation that Russia is aiding Iran.

Asked if the American radical tin expect conversations with the Russians to halt their engagement successful the conflict, Hegseth said Mr. Trump "has a unsocial narration with a batch of satellite leaders wherever helium tin get things done that different presidents, surely Joe Biden, ne'er could have." He added that "through nonstop conversations oregon indirect, done him one-to-one oregon done his Cabinet, messages decidedly tin beryllium delivered."

When asked whether Russia's engagement puts U.S. unit successful danger, Hegseth said: "We're putting the different guys successful danger, and that's our job. So we're not acrophobic astir that. … But the lone ones that request to beryllium disquieted close present are Iranians that deliberation they're gonna live."

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt, erstwhile asked during an quality connected Fox News astir Russia providing quality to Iran connected U.S. assets, said she could not remark connected "intelligence reports that are leaked to the press." The quality assistance from Russia was archetypal reported by The Washington Post.

"Whether oregon not this happened, frankly, it doesn't truly matter, due to the fact that President Trump and the United States subject are perfectly decimating the rogue Iranian violent regime," she said.

Later, Leavitt clarified to reporters that she meant Russia sharing quality connected U.S. assets with Iran "doesn't matter" due to the fact that "it intelligibly is not making a quality with respect to the subject operations successful Iran, due to the fact that we are wholly decimating them."

Watch much of Major Garrett's interrogation with Hegseth Sunday connected "60 Minutes."

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