United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced his first public questioning from Congress on the US-Israel war with Iran. Over hours of tense testimony alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Hegseth batted away questions about the long-term goals and timeline of war, which began with the US-Israel launching attacks on Iran on February 28. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Life in limbo: How Iranians navigate a state of ‘no war, no peace’ list 2 of 3 ‘Particularly badly exposed’: How the Iran war is hitting the UK list 3 of 3 European Commission president calls for diplomacy to end Iran war end of list For the first time, the Pentagon publicly put the price tag of the war so far at $25bn, with Hegseth delivering an at-times caustic defence of US President Donald Trump’s policy. Hegseth also defended the White House’s historic request of a $1.5 trillion defence budget. He spoke shortly after the war with Iran passed its two-month mark.…