Hegseth unfazed by impeachment push, defends Trump's Iran war as 'necessary'

Facing a growing push for his impeachment, US secretary of war Pete Hegseth has defended US President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran under Operation Epic Fury, describing it as "necessary" despite questions over its political and electoral fallout after midterm setback.He also brushed aside impeachment concerns and urged Republican lawmakers to approve a major military funding package.Speaking at the Naval War College on Monday (local time), before addressing journalists, Hegseth backed US President Donald Trump's position that he would take military action against Iran again."This was a -- it doesn't have to be necessarily popular, but it can be necessary," war secretary said.His remarks came after a reporter referred to a social media post in which the Vice President reportedly said pollsters considered the Iran war the primary reason behind Republican setbacks in the midterm elections.Hegseth declined to assign blame or confirm whether he had discussed the post with the Vice President."Well, I appreciate the Vice President very much, and I'm not going to get in the…