US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s invocation of a holy Christian war in Iran and his comparison to the Crusades is astounding but typical (“How Trump and his minister of war ignored the lessons of history”, March 21). President Donald Trump and his acolytes are frequently citing Christian values, but their actions and policies are commonly, distinctly unChristian. Perhaps the most ridiculous aspect of this is that Hegseth doesn’t seem to know the Crusades ultimately failed. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

Pete Hegseth should have taken a lesson from the Iran oil crisis of 1979. Undeterred, he is seeking an extra $200 billion from Congress as “it takes money to kill bad guys” – nearly the same amount as total foreign aid given by all countries in 2024. This figure was slashed by about 20 per cent in 2025 after massive cuts by the US, Britain and other countries, affecting millions of poor and disadvantaged people. As a self-styled Christian, one would think the secretary of war might have learned the lessons in the Bible – to love your enemies and to help the poor and the needy. Clay O’Brien, Mosman

Both Trump and Hegseth seem to be operating from a position of complete and undisputed ignorance as to the complexity of the war they have initiated, together with Israel. Neither person has a background appropriate for the role he is holding. The first has incurred a string of bankruptcies, is a convicted felon and lies with impunity. Hegseth was a TV newsreader for seven years (2017 to 2024) before being appointed “Secretary of War” and he is spending $2 billion of US taxpayers’ funds every day on the war. This is not a skill set honed by reading the TV news bulletin. Neither man has presented an overarching strategy or exit timeframe, which is exacerbating financial market uncertainty. Further attacks by Israel on oil fields have increased market anxiety rapidly and also opened up the path for others to follow suit. Perhaps Congress might start to think de-escalation via diplomacy would be a good strategy. Otherwise, the oil price will continue its unrelenting upwards trajectory. Helen Cameron, Wollstonecraft

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hegseth-s-holy-war-will-be-just-another-failed-crusade-20260322-p5rmeo.html

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Pennington, from Glendale, Ky., died on Sunday from injuries sustained during an Iranian attack on a Saudi Arabian military base seven days earlier. He is the seventh U.S. service member to die in the conflict with Iran since it began on Feb. 28, along with Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Capt. Cody Khork of Lakeland, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. Declan Coady of Des Moines, Iowa; Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien of Indianola, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert Marzan of Sacramento, Calif. 

Earlier Monday, Trump called the war “a little excursion” during a House Republican retreat at his golf resort in Doral, Florida.

“We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil,” the president said. “And I think you’ll see it’s [going to] be a short-term excursion.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5776187-kaine-slams-trump-iran-war/

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