Hegseth, Gabbard, Leavitt face first major test with Israel–Iran conflict

Trump’s leading trio of Trump administration – Defense Minister Beit Higseth, Director of National Intelligence Tolsi Gabbard and White House press secretary Caroline Levit – in the midst of confronting their first specialty Foreign policy test in their roles, the prominent administration, after Israel launched preventive strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump weighs the involvement of the United States in the conflict.

The trio rose to his roles with a widespread uproar among many Maga governors, although many critics have just wondered if their previous career had prepared them for what would have come. The current burning tensions with the Islamic Republic can be the final ruling that was true.

“President Trump is advancing from the front, and he gathered a global team of global level that helped him achieve many foreign policy achievements in this chapter,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Fox Digter on Wednesday when asked about the trio test in Iran. “The American people trust the president in making the correct decisions that keep them safe, and their team enabled his team to meet this moment and progress in the goals of their foreign policy.”

Defense Minister Beit Higseth

Minister Higseth was one of the most controversial candidates in Trump among critics, as Democratic lawmakers and left -wing critics criticized Hegseth unqualified for this position.

Iran warns us not to join the conflict means a “overall war”, which refuses the demands to abandon the disputed nuclear program

“It seems that this session now is a hearing on whether or not women are qualified to serve women. And not about whether I was qualified to be the Minister of Defense” or not, “said the Democratic Senator at Illinois, Tami Dakright, during a Hegseth confirmation session in front of the Elleno Armed Services Committee in January. You are not this person. ”

“Is Higseth House really the best thing we offer?” Democratic Senator Jack Reed asked Rod Island, a member of the committee.

President Donald Trump speaks at a round table. (Evan Fuction/Associated Press)

Higseth fought against allegations that he would reduce the previous standards of the Minister of Defense and that his promises to strengthen the army could be amplified as soon as he was in the role and supervision of the entire army.

He said in his opening statement during the confirmation session: “As I said to many of you in our own meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the main charge he gave me was to restore the culture of the warrior to the Ministry of Defense.” “He, like me, wants to focus the Pentagon laser on wrestling war, killing, entitlement, standards, and willingness. That’s everything. That’s my job.”

This role was confirmed after Vice President JD VANCE issued a tie when Republican Lisa Morkovsky, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell joined the Democrats in voting against confirmation.

Higseth is the graduate of the ivy league and the former National Guard officer who was deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Guantanamo Gulf during his military career, which started in 2003. He also received a handful of military prizes, including two bronze stars. He appeared in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday and was pressed on the Israeli conflict.

“They should have had a deal,” he said.

“President Trump’s word means something – the world is aware of it,” said Higseth, referring to Trump’s repeated pressure on Iran to conclude an agreement with the United States on its nuclear program with the conflict.

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“In the Ministry of Defense, our mission is to prepare and prepare for options. This is exactly what we do,” Higseth continued.

He did not reveal whether the United States would help Israel in the ongoing strikes on Iran, but the Pentagon is in the midst of preparing Trump’s options.

Any possible participation in the United States in strikes can attract the country into a war against Iran.

“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said on Wednesday about whether he would ask for a strike on Iran. “I mean, no one knows what I will do.”

Higseth was among Trump’s high -ranking officials who joined Trump in the White House room as a president and his team was closely watching the well -known conflict.

The Director of National Intelligence, Tolsi Gabbard. (John McDonnell/Associated Press)

Director of National Intelligence Tolsi Gabbard

The Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is another official in Trump who faced an intense confirmation session as critics argued that she is not eligible for this role.

Gabbard is a former Democrat serving in the US House of Representatives representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, and is a former member of the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives and veteran warriors in the Iraq war. However, she did not hold an official position in the intelligence community before working as a director of national intelligence.

Before asserting, Gabbard’s critics criticized her as lacking qualifications for this role, as she questioned her ruling on the 2017 meeting with the then -Siniri dictator Bashar al -Assad, describing it as sympathetic to Russia, and the luxury in its noticeable notes related to the previous National Security Agency of the store.

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She said during her confirmation session: “Those who oppose my nomination indicate that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, and my conscience and constitution of the United States.” “I am accused of me Being Trump’s dollPutin doll, lion doll, teacher doll, Modi doll, do not realize the absurdity of being a doll for five different doll professors. ”

It was ultimately confirmed in the 52-48 vote.

Smoke is rising from the construction of Iranian government television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP image)

Gabbard’s testimony in March before the Senate rejected the concerns that Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon under the microscope in the country after Israel launched preventive strikes on Iran. Israel’s strikes were in a direct response to Israeli intelligence, which turned out that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a short period of time.

Trump was asked about Gabbard’s testimony as he returned to Washington on Monday evening from the 7 Group Summit in Canada, and the president said he does not care, “Gabbard said in the previous testimony, on the pretext that he believes that Iran is about to build Nawak.

“I have always said that you don’t think Iran should be able to obtain a nuclear weapon,” one of the correspondents asked Trump while he was on the Air Force on Monday. “But to what extent do you personally think they were getting one?”

“Very soon”, Trump answered.

“Because Tolsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,” the correspondent continued.

Trump came back, “I don’t care what she said. I think they were about to get one.”

When Gabbard appeared in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in March, it made a statement on behalf of the intelligence community that included a testimony that Iran was not active to build a nuclear weapon.

“Electronic processes and electronic capabilities are a serious threat to American networks and data,” Gabbard told the committee on March 26.

She said that the intelligence community “continues to evaluate that Iran does not build a nuclear weapon, and the Supreme Leader of Heshna has not declared the nuclear weapons program that it suspended in 2003.” She added that “the enriched uranium stock in Iran is at its highest level and is unprecedented for the state without nuclear weapons.”

“Iran is likely to continue efforts Israel counter He pressed the American military withdrawal from the region by helping, arming and helping to reshape its loose union from the similar terrorist actors in thinking, which indicates as the focus of resistance.

However, when critics chose Gabbard’s previous comments, the White House emphasized that Gabbard and Trump are closely consistent with Iran.

A White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday afternoon that Trump and Gabbard are closely aligned and that the discrimination that raises Gabbard’s testimony in Trump’s march and statements that Iran is “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon without a difference.

The official noted that Gabbard confirmed in its testimony in March that Iran had the resources to build a nuclear weapon. Its testimony in March reflected the intelligence it received that Iran was not building a weapon at that time, but the country could do this based on the resources it collected for such an endeavor.

White House, Secretary Caroline Levitte. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary Caroline Levitt

Levitte is the youngest journalist in the history of the United States, assuming the role at the age of 27.

Some liberal critics, such as “The View”, attempted to deduct her appointment when she was first exploited by Trump, and since then she appeared as a Trump administration fire during her routine journalistic surroundings at the White House.

Although Levitt praised an overwhelming majority by the president’s supporters for its defense of the administration and repeated fiery exchanges with the left media during a briefing, her mandate focused on a overwhelming majority on local issues.

President Donald Trump is in the midst of monitoring the burning conflict between Israel and Iran. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

Levitte has maintained the update of the nation on issues such as mass deportation efforts, and the Trump’s continuous list of executive orders that affect the policies of sexually transformed issues to electric cars and national tragedies such as the terrorist attack in Bulder that target Jewish Americans and the broad -scale Trump policy that affects foreign countries.

Although the administration entered its position with a huge war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing war in Israel after it attacked the enthusiasm of the country in 2023, the Israeli -Iranian conflict provides Levitte the first major international crisis that could include the participation of the United States.

The first press expected from Levitt has been scheduled to be briefed since Israel launched its preventive strikes on Thursday.