Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the US military has enough resources to indefinitely maintain a naval blockade of Iran, adding that ships can be rotated into the region as needed.
Hegseth’s remarks suggest he supports continuing economic pressure on Iran for as long as necessary to facilitate negotiations to end the conflict, which have so far been unsuccessful.
“The US Navy can maintain such a blockade indefinitely because we will rotate ships in and out, as we have done and will continue to do,” Hegseth told reporters. He spoke in Panama after addressing the crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Gridley, which was previously deployed in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump said the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. “The USA fully controls the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Everyone calls our naval blockade the ‘WALL OF STEEL,’ and Iran can do nothing about it,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Escalation and pressure on Iran
The war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. After its start, Tehran effectively closed the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas previously passed. Subsequently, the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports, while stating that it would protect freedom of navigation for vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports.
Since the start of the war, Washington has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the Middle East, including more than 20 warships. Since the start of the blockade, the US military has redirected more than 55 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, including disabling three ships and boarding two.
Earlier this week, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged vessel after it ignored warnings from US military, the military reported.
Military operations and political context
Months of US strikes, which have targeted Iran’s leadership and damaged a significant portion of its military capabilities, including its navy, have not deprived Tehran of control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is striking US allies in the region with missiles and drones, as well as targeting commercial vessels passing through the strait without its permission.
Trump has repeatedly wavered between threats of escalation and statements about the inevitability of a peace deal. So far, he has resisted some of the most dangerous steps that could escalate the situation, such as deploying ground troops, seizing strategic islands, or bombing desalination plants.
Trump is under pressure to end the war, which is highly unpopular in the country ahead of the November midterm elections, and high fuel prices are one of the main issues in rural areas that previously supported him.
Source: The Straits Times
