Hegseth says U.S. forces will show no quarter in Iran war

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on March 15, 2026, that U.S. forces would show "no quarter, no mercy" for enemies in the Iran war. International law experts immediately condemned the statement as a threatened war crime, noting that the laws of armed conflict explicitly prohibit declaring no quarter will be given — meaning no prisoners would be taken. The prohibition has been part of U.S. military law since the Civil War's Lieber Code. Senator Mark Kelly called the phrase a legal term of art, not tough talk, and demanded clarification from the Pentagon.