# US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has begun using explicitly religious language to describe military operations.

*business · news · 2026-04-07 · Free Press Journal*

## Key points

- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is framing the Iran conflict as a divinely sanctioned crusade.
- Hegseth used the Easter rescue of an airman to draw explicit parallels with Christ's resurrection.
- Pope Leo XIV has publicly condemned the use of Christian theology to justify the US-Iran war.
- This religious framing complicates diplomatic solutions and risks validating Iranian propaganda about a 'crusader' threat.

**Countries:** United States, Iran

[Read the full story on Free Press Journal](https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/is-pete-hegseth-framing-iran-war-as-crusade)

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