Pete Hegseth Says He Told Teenage Son U.S. Soldiers in Iran Died for Him

Pete Hegseth says he's keeping it real with his son when it comes to the Iran War ... telling his 13-year-old the troops who died in Iran made the ultimate sacrifice for the next generation.

President Trump's Defense Secretary was talking to the media Thursday at the Pentagon when he mentioned his son ... claiming his kid popped in to his office the night before, when he was working on a speech, to ask him about the war and the families of the dead soldiers he went to visit at Dover Air Force Base.

Hegseth says he told his son the troops died for his son's generation so they don't have to deal with a "nuclear Iran."

Trump, Hegseth, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff went to Dover in Delaware Wednesday to receive the flag-draped caskets of six Air Force members who died last week in the Middle East. All told, 13 U.S. troops have been killed in the war.

Hegseth says the families he met at Dover told him to "honor their sacrifice" and "not stop until the job is done."