Hegseth says “ceasefire not over” after US, Iran exchange fire in Strait of Hormuz
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the US operation targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran was a “temporary solution” after a standoff led to an exchange of fire the previous day.
“Iran cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their assets on the international road,” Hegseth said at a press conference Tuesday at the Pentagon.
Hegseth later clarified that the “ceasefire is not over” even though Iranian ships on Monday opened fire on American naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the American sinking of several Iranian boats.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine said Iran has attacked the US “more than 10 times” since April 8, but “has fallen below the threshold of resuming major hostilities.”
Hegseth noted that Project Freedom, the US effort to target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, is “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.” He called the project a “temporary solution” for the US, saying “the world needs this waterway more than we do.”
Caine said the task force has 15,000 American members. The mission includes guided missile destroyers and other warships that detect and defeat Iranian threats, Caine said. Among the ships are 100 attack aircraft and other unmanned aerial vehicles, which Caine said are being assembled by the 82nd Airborne Division.
Iran’s foreign minister said Monday’s violence showed “there is no military solution” to the war, warning that the US and its regional allies should be “wary of being pushed back into chaos by people who don’t want it.”
Two US Navy destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, evading a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles, defense officials said. he told CBS News. US Central Command said two US-flagged commercial ships also passed through the strait as part of Project Freedom.
US Central Command said Monday The US destroyed six Iranian boats who had tried to interfere with the commercial ships that the Navy directed to the port, and Mr. Trump later said it was seven ships.
Iran’s IRNA news agency denied that, saying that none of its so-called “speed” boats were destroyed on Monday.
Mr. Trump told Fox News on Monday that Iran would be “blasted off the face of the earth” if the country interfered in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst.
Iran, on the other hand, has he warned that US forces will be attacked if they enter the street. Iran has sought control of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil and has been largely closed since the war began in late February.
Iran also fired target in the United Arab Emirates and a a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi energy company on Monday, the US ally said.
The back-and-forth could be a test of fragile US-Iranian diplomacy, extended by Mr. Trump permanently last month while the two sides negotiated a long-term deal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that talks between the two countries are “advancing.” But he warned the US and the United Arab Emirates “should be wary of being pushed back into the mess by the naysayers.”
Mr. Trump, for his part, said over the weekend that Iran’s latest peace proposal probably won’t be accepted because “they haven’t paid a big enough price.”
