washington – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Iranian Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships and ports will continue “as long as it takes” and indicated that the Trump administration is in no rush to reach a peace deal with Iran.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth echoed President Trump’s recent comments that the US controls the timeline of Operation Epic Fury, which has lasted nearly two months. The president announced on Tuesday that the cease-fire agreement with Iran will be extended for two weeks and that the Navy blockade will continue until negotiations with Iranian officials are concluded.
Iran condemned the naval blockade and said it was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“What they have to do is give up nuclear weapons in a reasonable and verifiable way, or instead they can watch the fragile economic condition of the kingdom crumble under the relentless pressure of American power, a deterrence for as long as it takes, whatever President Trump decides,” Hegseth said, adding that as the deterrence continues, “the clock is not on their side.”
Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the US pulled out Iranian troops in the first four weeks of the war and “now what we’re doing is sitting back and seeing what kind of deal” comes out.
Hegseth, too, stated that the US is not interested in the length of the war.
“President Trump said it again yesterday. We have all the time in the world, and we are not worried about the deal,” he said.
Still, Hegseth opened up to reporters criticizing what he called “the endless wars of the past that dragged on for years and decades,” and tried to draw a distinction between the conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, the defense secretary said Operation Epic Fury had delivered a “significant military result” in a matter of weeks, focusing on the campaign to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The defense secretary said the campaign is continuing in a new phase, and Iran now has a chance to make a peace deal.
“Iran has an important decision, an opportunity to make a deal. A good deal. A smart deal,” he said.
The defense secretary emphasized the scope of the US blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said is “ironclad,” and said that a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in the coming days.
“Our blockade is expanding and going global,” he said, adding that as of Friday morning, 34 non-Iranian ships are able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The defense secretary said many of those ships were allowed to pass through the Strait, including overnight.
“We see ships moving, there are open lanes,” he said, adding that while commercial ships are moving through the Strait, “there is a lot of restriction.”
Hegseth also talked about the ships seized by Iran in recent days, saying that they were “random ships” that were targeted and shot by speedboats.
Following Mr. Trump guidance On Thursday for the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat laying mines in the Strait, Hegseth said the US administration has clear rules of engagement.
“If Iran plants mines in the water, or threatens an American merchant ship or American forces, we will shoot to destroy it. There is no doubt,” he said.
Hegseth declined to “speculate on a timeline” of how long it would take the US to clear mines from the Strait, but urged America’s allies to help.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine briefed reporters on the US military embargo, which is being enforced on any ship going to or from an Iranian port or territory. Caine said 34 ships encountered US blockades and turned around, but one, the M/V Touska, was seized.
Two other “stateless” vessels linked to Iran, the M/T Tifani and IM/T Majestic Xwere banned. Their group is still in American custody, Caine said. Both ships were banned from the Indo-Pacific Command area, which includes the Indian Ocean, according to the Pentagon.
“We will continue to carry out similar maritime interdiction measures and operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian black vessels,” Caine said.
Hegseth was asked about him Pope Leo’s latest comments criticizing the war on Iran, which led to an insult from Mr Trump, and the defense secretary defended the US actions.
“We know what our goal is. We know what authority we have,” he said. “We made that clear.”
Hegseth and Cain update is on war in Iran It happened as the US-Iran ended the week you live in the area while the two sides compete for control of shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The two have spoken to reporters several times since Operation Epic Fury began in late February.
While hostilities between the US and Iran have been suspended, the US military has blockaded Iranian ports at the behest of Mr. Trump, turned more than 30 ships so far, according to the US Central Command. At the time, Iran wanted to control the movement of ships on the border, saying on Thursday that it had raised its first capital in the waterway, the most important chokepoint that often carries one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Tensions have escalated in recent days, as the two countries have imposed tit-for-tat shipping restrictions. The US stopped and rode a pair Oil tankers are connected to Iran, and Iran attacked and said to have boarded at least two cargo ships in this problem.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a redacted video on Thursday that the military said showed masked commandos targeting cargo ships and boarding them. Government of the Philippines said The 15 Filipino sailors aboard the Iranian-captured vessels were “safe and unharmed.”
Mr. Trump said on Thursday that the US has “control” over the Strait of Hormuz. He also ordered the military to “shoot and kill” any Iranian ships trying to lay mines in the waters.
Shipping traffic at the border remains below pre-war levels.
Earlier this week, the president extended the ceasefire agreement with Iran for two weeks indefinitelygiving more time to what he described as a highly fragmented Iranian leadership to strike a deal with his administration. Mr. Trump told reporters on Thursday that he would continue to bombard Iran if it does not come to the negotiating table, but he is in no rush.
“I want to make the best possible deal. I can make a deal right now,” he said during an Oval Office event, later adding: “I don’t want to rush myself.”
The suspension of the agreement between Israel and Lebanon was extended by three weeks on Thursday following White House negotiations between the delegations of the two countries. Lebanon could play an important role in any solution to the Iran conflict because of Israel’s campaign against Iran’s proxy group Hezbollah. Iran has forced Israel to pause fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of a ceasefire.
This week was also marked by turmoil in the Pentagon, as Defense Secretary John Phelan he left his post with the direction of Mr. Trump and Hegseth. The president told reporters on Thursday that Phelan is a “good man” but has trouble getting along with others.
“He’s a hard charger, and he had conflicts with other people,” said Mr. Trump. “We have to understand each other, especially in the military.”
