politics
March 14, 2026
Democratic lawmaker condemns Hegseth’s call for ‘no quarter’ for US enemies
Defense secretary appeared to endorse killing prisoners, a violation of international law, during press briefing
TL;DR
- Senator Mark Kelly stated that an order to give "no quarter" would mean taking no prisoners and killing them instead.
- Kelly argued that such an order would violate the law of armed conflict and be illegal.
- The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 explicitly forbid declaring that no quarter will be given.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirms that humanitarian law prohibits this procedure and it is a war crime under the international criminal court.
- Hegseth's remarks came during a briefing where he also claimed Iran's new supreme leader is wounded and questioned his ability to govern.
- The White House and Department of Defense are also facing criticism for using simplistic pop culture memes, like Wii Sports clips, to promote the war with Iran.
- Kelly and Hegseth have a history of public disagreements, including Kelly urging troops to disobey unlawful directives and Hegseth calling for Kelly's demotion.