US Representative Yassamin Ansari said she intends to introduce articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over what she described as war crimes linked to his handling of the war against Iran .
"Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran", the Arizona Democrat said on Monday, adding that Hegseth is "complicit" .
Ansari’s announcement follows recent remarks by the US president suggesting that "the entire country [of Iran] could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night", referring to a deadline announced on his Truth Social platform set to expire at 8pm ET on Tuesday.
Lawmakers, including Ansari, argue that threats to target civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and power plants, would, if carried out, violate the law of armed conflict under the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian sites.
Ansari, the child of Iranian immigrants, warned that "threatening them with annihilation is a monstrous war crime" that ultimately harms civilians while serving the interests of the Iranian regime.
She called for Hegseth’s impeachment on the grounds of "repeatedly violating his oath of office and the Constitution", citing what she described as a disregard for Congress and the alleged targeting of civilian infrastructure in Iran, including water desalination plants, hospitals, schools, and bridges.
Labelling him the "chief enabler of this illegal war", Ansari also denounced what she called the defence secretary's "reckless endangerment of US servicemembers and repeated war crimes".
She referenced the bombing of a girls’ school in Minab on the first day of the war, 28 February, which killed more than 170 people, most of them children.
A New York Times investigation published on 11 March suggested the school may have been mistakenly targeted by the US due to outdated coordinates provided to the Department of Defence.
Ansari is not the first lawmaker to push for Hegseth's impeachment.
In December 2025, Representative Shri Tanedar filed articles of impeachment accusing him of "murder and conspiracy to murder" over deadly strikes on alleged narco-boats in the Caribbean.
Other Democrats, including Senator Chris Murphy, have also raised concerns that the administration’s rhetoric could amount to war crimes.
Ansari further questioned the legality of the war itself, stating: "Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys".
She also urged the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows for the transfer of power if a president is deemed unfit to serve.
Recent polls indicate Hegseth is among the least popular members of the cabinet following the departures of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
A successful impeachment would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate. With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, analysts say Ansari’s effort is unlikely to succeed.
It also appears improbable that the cabinet, which is largely composed of loyalists, would move to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Historically, the House of Representatives has removed only two secretaries in 1878 and 2024, both times of which the Senate acquitted the conviction.