Donald Trump’s promise to keep America out of foreign wars is coming under fresh scrutiny, with parts of his own support base now questioning his approach to the conflict with Iran.

Reporting from Washington, Patty Culhane said Pete Hegseth had made clear that Trump would decide how and when the war ends — a position that has reignited debate over whether the president is drifting away from his “America First” message.

During the election campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to end US involvement in overseas conflicts. But that pledge is now proving contentious among some of his most vocal backers, who argue that deeper involvement in Iran would amount to serving Israeli interests rather than American ones.

Critics within his movement have also pointed to intelligence assessments suggesting Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon, despite repeated claims used to justify military action.

That has added to doubts over the rationale for escalation, especially after Trump himself said in June that Iran’s nuclear programme had already been “obliterated” in earlier strikes.