Anti-war protesters heckle Hegseth at least five times at US Army conference, calling him a 'f***ing Nazi'

Anti-war demonstrators interrupted Pete Hegseth no fewer than five times during the opening thirty minutes of a panel session at the US Army's largest annual conference in Washington DC on Wednesday. Protesters shouted that he was a "war criminal", a "coward" and a "f***ing Nazi", targeting his stance on the Iran conflict and the situation in Gaza. Hegseth initially deflected the interruptions with jokes, but his composure visibly cracked as the disruptions kept coming in what appeared to be a coordinated sequence. Security personnel had to physically remove at least one woman from the room after she declined to leave voluntarily.

After one protester yelled 'You're not a warrior, you're a coward', Hegseth shot back: 'She thinks highly of me', drawing brief applause.

Hegseth said the disruptions were 'semi-coordinated attacks', adding: 'Iran really will never have a nuclear weapon.'

The US Army Association said protesters had agreed to a code of conduct on entry and their 'outbursts were certainly not appropriate'.