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House Democrat says she’ll move to impeach Hegseth over Iran war

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by Ashleigh Fields - 04/06/26 10:55 PM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 04/06/26 10:55 PM ET

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Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) on Monday said she will introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for war crimes following President Trump’s planned strikes on Iran’s bridges, desalination plants and power plants.

“Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran. In the last 48 hours alone, the rhetoric has crossed every line. Pete Hegseth is complicit,” Ansari, who is the child of Iranian immigrants, wrote in a post on X.

“I’ve called for the 25th Amendment and am introducing Articles of Impeachment against Hegseth,” she added.

Since the start of strikes on Feb. 28, the U.S. has bombed a school for girls in Minab, the key oil export hub on Kharg Island and Iran has accused the Trump administration of striking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island.

“Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys. Hegseth’s reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers and repeated war crimes, including bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, and willfully targeting civilian infrastructure, are grounds for impeachment and removal from office,” Ansari said on Monday, according to reporting from Scott McFarlane.

She’s not the first to suggest Hegseth be ousted for war crimes. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) filed articles of impeachment against the defense secretary last December but has not forced a vote on the matter.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and other lawmakers have said plans to target civilian infrastructure in the country constitute clear war crimes.

However, Hegseth says he supports Trump’s plans to press ahead with full force despite allegations that the U.S. military is violating international law.

In the face of escalating war, Ansari has urged Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, which provides for an involuntary transfer of power to declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” making the vice president the acting president.

“The 25th Amendment exists for a reason; his Cabinet should use it. The fate of U.S. troops, the Iranian people, and the very foundation of our global system are at stake,” she said, according to Axios.

The Democratic freshman has long argued that Trump and his subordinates have a “lack of knowledge” on the historical and political context involving foreign policy with Iran.

Ansari slammed last year’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and strongly warned against U.S. efforts for regime change.

“I think any sort of US-led military intervention or regime change would be a terrible mistake,” she told The Guardian.

“I was genuinely terrified during the days Trump was making contradictory threats – one moment urging civilians in Tehran to evacuate, the next talking about regime change, and then suddenly calling for peace. That kind of unpredictability is dangerous,” she added, noting an alternative group was looking to rise to power in the absence of an Ayatollah.

Instead, she insisted the Iranian people need unrestricted access to the internet and advocacy for the release of political prisoners.

However, the president argued the opposite during his Monday remarks, alleging the Iranian people are happy about the U.S. bombing campaign.

“They don’t hear bombs go off, they’re upset,” Trump said during a Monday press gaggle.

“They want to hear bombs because they want to be free. And the only reason they’re not out protesting, you know, that is because they were informed that if they protest, like the wrestler and his friends, if they protest, they will be shot immediately,” he added, referring to 19-year-old national wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi, who was hanged for participating in a demonstration against the Iranian regime.

First lady Melania Trump also told reporters on Monday that citizens support the war in Iran.

“All of this is happening for their future, they will be safe for years to come,” she told the press during the annual White House Easter egg roll.

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