<p>Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war, was one of the most controversial picks in Trump’s cabinet. But as Trump’s foreign adventures have come to define his second term, Hegseth is not just more visible, he’s become the Iran war’s main cheerleader. So who is he?</p><br><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: </em><a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://thetimes.com/thestory</em></a></p><br><p><strong>Guest: </strong>Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist, the Times and the Sunday Times.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana</p><p><strong>Producers:</strong> Harry Stott and Micaela Arneson</p><p><strong>We want to hear from you - email:</strong> <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p><br><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/pete-hegseth-trump-war-iran-07nh2c2x2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pete Hegseth, the former soldier and TV host selling Trump’s war</a></p><p><strong>Further listening: </strong><a href="https://shows.acast.com/storiesofourtimes/episodes/qa-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-trumps-iran-talks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Q&amp;A: What we know (and don't know) about Trump's Iran talks</a></p><p><strong>Clips:</strong> FOX, BBC, Forbes, CBS, SKY.</p><p><strong>Photo:</strong> Getty Images.</p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>