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Pope Leo XIV issued a renewed appeal for peace and nuclear disarmament as President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that the United States would escalate military operations against Iran.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said Iran “desperately” wants to negotiate a ceasefire after more than a week of U.S. and Iranian exchanges but insisted that the conflict is far from over and that any site connected to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions could become a target. “We’re not finished,” Trump told reporters. “We’re not leaving.”
The president’s comments came shortly before the U.S. launched its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, the U.S. military’s Central Command said at about 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Trump also reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, warning that the U.S. would strike “any site where they’re even thinking about nuclear.”
“We’ll be hitting that area very, probably pretty soon and very heavily,” Trump said when asked about Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground complex believed to be associated with Iran’s nuclear program. Trump added that the U.S. had inflicted damage that would take Iran “20, 25 years to recover from.”
His comments came as Pope Leo made one of his strongest public appeals yet for an end to the fighting.
“I am asking all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war,” the pontiff said. “Especially an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate. Let’s remember the innocent people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare.”
The pope’s remarks underscored growing concern within the Vatican over the humanitarian consequences of the expanding conflict, which began on February 28 and has raised fears of broader regional instability and further civilian casualties.
Pope Calls for Peace Built on Truth
The Vatican’s message was reinforced in a new book by Pope Leo, who argues that genuine peace cannot be achieved through military force or political rhetoric alone.
“Peace is built with truth,” the pope writes. “Even those who make war claim to act ‘in the name’ of peace. No one has the audacity to declare that they want war for the sake of war: even the powerful of the Earth know that every person aspires to justice and wishes to live in peace.”
The comments stand in sharp contrast to the increasingly forceful tone adopted by the Trump administration, which has argued that sustained military pressure is necessary to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities and compel Tehran to negotiate.
Trump Signals More Military Action
Trump said U.S. forces would maintain pressure on Iran despite his assertion that Iranian officials are seeking talks.
“They cannot have a nuclear weapon and they won’t have…no chance of having a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The president also appeared to shift blame for the deaths of three U.S. service members killed in the Middle East over the weekend as he confirmed that he would travel to Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of their remains.
“They did slip something through in Jordan,” Trump told reporters, apparently referring to the deadly Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack. “If we had other operators, you know, it would have not happened, unfortunately.
“We’ve stopped almost everything, but when you let other people do your job with the United States—we let other people do the job—and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.”
Trump did not elaborate on who he believed was responsible for protecting U.S. forces in Jordan, and it was not immediately clear whom he was referring to in his comments. The White House did not immediately provide additional clarification
He also described the U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports as a “steel wall,” saying “nobody gets through.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the administration’s position, saying Iran had been given repeated opportunities to negotiate but that U.S. forces would continue striking military targets if Tehran failed to change course.
“If they want to talk, they can talk,” he said. “Otherwise they can deal with the War Department. And we’re prepared.”
Growing Divide
Although Pope Leo has not mentioned Trump by name, his repeated calls for peace and rejection of war have increasingly contrasted with Trump’s escalating rhetoric on Iran. In April, Trump responded to the perceived rebuke of the administration’s military approach, calling Pope Leo “WEAK on crime,” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.”
“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime, I guess,” Trump added. “I am not a fan of Pope Leo.”
The pope responded that he had “no fear of the Trump administration,” although he said he did not want to “get into a debate with [Trump]. “I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
The pope’s latest appeal highlights the widening divide between religious leaders calling for an immediate end to hostilities and world powers arguing that military force remains necessary to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Death Toll, Casualty Count Rises
The Pentagon on Tuesday said that the Iran death toll for U.S. military members had risen as it identified a third soldier believed to have been killed by Iranian strikes on a Jordanian air base.
Active-duty Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, who was assigned to a unit based in Germany, was previously assessed as missing.
“The Soldier status was updated to a Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown and is believed to be deceased,” the military said in its statement.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump had confirmed the death toll had risen to 18 in a Truth Social post, writing: “Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD.”
Rampersad is the third soldier killed during an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which also claimed the lives of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales.
According to The Associated Press, citing a U.S. official, the number of American troops wounded in the conflict has also risen and now exceeds 500. That figure exceeds the Pentagon’s publicly available Defense Casualty Analysis System tally, which currently lists 482 wounded in action. Before renewed fighting began in early July, the Pentagon’s casualty database listed 413 wounded.
The evolving casualty figures underscore the mounting human cost of the four-month conflict as the Trump administration continues military operations against Iran while seeking additional defense funding from Congress.
Senators Split on Trump’s Strategy
Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida defended Trump’s rationale for the military campaign, saying the president has made clear why he believes military action is necessary.
“I think he’s explained that we don’t want to be killed by nuclear weapons, and Iran was in the process of building them, and they can’t have them,” Scott told Newsweek, when asked whether the administration had sufficiently explained the conflict.
Asked about the three U.S. service members who recently died and whose dignified transfer Trump is expected to attend, Scott said they “died to protect American lives.”
“Iran’s been killing Americans for 47 years, and our military’s trying to stop them,” he added.
Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey offered a sharply different assessment, accusing Trump of bypassing Congress and failing to meet his stated military objectives.
“This is a president who’s now been at war for months since February, and has obviously violated the Constitution because he’s not come to Congress at all for the authorization to use this military force,” Booker told Newsweek. “He has really betrayed the American people as their costs continue to grow, as we’re losing soldiers, as we’re spending tens of billions of dollars, and there’s not adequate accountability.”
Booker said the deaths of the three U.S. service members were “tragic,” adding: “We in Congress owe it to them to do our jobs and hold this president accountable for this war.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, also criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict, arguing that it has failed to justify the military campaign or provide adequate information to Congress and the public.
“The Trump administration has failed utterly and totally to provide factual justification for this war in Iran,” Blumenthal told Newsweek. “It was a war of choice, really a war of impulse and whim.”
He added that the administration has not disclosed key information “about the costs in dollars and cents, about injuries to our servicemen and women, about damage to our facilities, and weapons platforms.”
Asked what the three Americans who died had sacrificed their lives for, Blumenthal responded: “That really is the key question. What are all the costs for? What is it for? What are the deaths for? Real tragedies, unspeakable betrayal of trust by this administration.”
Hegseth Reveals Cost of Iran War
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed Tuesday that the U.S. military campaign against Iran has cost an estimated $37.5 billion so far, as he defended Trump’s push for a massive defense spending increase and faced sharp questioning from senators over the war’s cost, legal authority and long-term objectives.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday, Hegseth said the estimate includes costs already incurred as well as anticipated expenses through the end of the fiscal year, including military pay, operations and maintenance. Hegseth was interrupted repeatedly by protesters during his testimony, prompting brief pauses before he continued outlining the Pentagon’s operational and budgetary demands.
The figure was disclosed after Senator Dick Durbin pressed Hegseth on the financial impact of the conflict and questioned why the administration was seeking additional funding while the Pentagon still had billions in previously approved funds available.
Durbin noted that the administration’s supplemental request totaled roughly $87.6 billion, with about $67 billion directed toward the Department of Defense, while the Pentagon still had approximately $75 billion in obligated funding from a previous package.
“What’s going to happen to that $75 billion?” Durbin asked.
Hegseth said those funds were intended for rebuilding and modernizing the military rather than solely for the Iran conflict, pointing to investments in munitions production, shipbuilding, hypersonic weapons and other capabilities.
The defense secretary added that it would allow the department to “Move away from all the woke priorities of what the Biden administration was pursuing,” and allow the military to make significant upgrades after years of underinvestment.
“The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking and bureaucracy was staggering when we took over,” Hegseth added.
Durbin later told Newsweek, outside the hearing, that he was struck by how the administration “can’t explain how this money is going to be spent.
“Consider they’re asking for 40 percent increase in the Department of Defense in the next fiscal year. Americans get that 40 percent for a war of choice in Iran. That to me is unexplainable and unacceptable.”
Democratic lawmakers used the hearing to question whether the administration had clearly defined its goals in Iran and whether taxpayers were being asked to pay for an open-ended conflict that continues to rise in cost.
Hegseth acknowledged that future operations could increase spending, though he said some projected costs were already included in the $37.5 billion estimate.
The cost debate came as senators also challenged Hegseth over the administration’s legal authority to continue military operations without a new authorization from Congress.
Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned whether the White House was using temporary ceasefires to restart the clock under the War Powers Resolution and avoid seeking congressional approval.
Hegseth said the administration believes the president has sufficient authority under Article II of the Constitution to conduct the operations.
“We certainly, as a department, share the position of the White House, that we have all the authorities necessary at this moment,” Hegseth said.
Senators also questioned previous administration claims that Iran’s military capabilities had been largely destroyed, asking how Tehran was still able to launch attacks against U.S. forces and disrupt shipping.
Hegseth acknowledged Iran retained capabilities but argued that U.S. strikes had left the country in its weakest military position in decades.
“Iran is at the weakest point militarily it has ever been in the past decade, certainly maybe in 47 years,” Hegseth said.
The hearing highlighted a growing divide in Congress over the Iran campaign. Republicans argued that continued military pressure is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while Democrats questioned the financial burden, congressional oversight and whether the administration has provided sufficient justification for the conflict.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech, Dave Siminoff, Gray R. Thomas
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