Hegseth's comments suggest he is advising U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. military can keep applying economic pressure on Iran for as long as needed to help so-far failed negotiations to end the conflict, begun in February." Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we'll continue to," Hegseth told reporters. He spoke in Panama after addressing the crew aboard the USS Gridley, a guided-missile destroyer, which had previously deployed to the Middle East. Also read: Iran, US make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the Strait of Hormuz. "The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, "A WALL OF STEEL," and there is nothing Iran can do about it," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. After the start of the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran effectively shut the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas was previously shipped. The U.S. subsequently imposed a naval blockade on Iranian shipping and ports, while saying it would protect freedom of navigation for vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports. Washington has poured tens of thousands of troops into the Middle East since the war started, including more than 20 warships. Since the blockade started, the U.S. military has redirected more than 55 commercial vessels that were attempting to run the blockade, including disabling three ships and boarding two. Earlier this week, a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into a Panama-flagged ship's engine room after it ignored warnings from U.S. forces, the military said. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Hegseth's comments suggest he is advising U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. military can keep applying economic pressure on Iran for as long as needed to help so-far failed negotiations to end the conflict, begun in February." Indefinitely the United States Navy can maint…
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US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that its forces have redirected 94 commercial vessels and boarded two ships in the Arabian Sea while enforcing a blockade against Iran. In response, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated on social media that Tehran has "recalibrated" its military posture and is considering establishing a maritime exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf to counter economic sanctions.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call on Monday, with Downing Street stating they agreed to continue working toward a Ukrainian ceasefire. This diplomatic exchange occurred one day after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with both President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, expressing hope for renewed trilateral negotiations.
Iranian state media announced the deployment of the solid-fueled Qassem Basir missile, which officials described as marking a strategic shift toward preemptive action against perceived threats, though it remains unverified whether this specific system was involved in recent incidents.
This announcement follows a U.S. statement that it intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles launched at its warships and retaliated by striking three Iranian oil tankers, an exchange experts identified as a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
The United States has reportedly shifted from diplomatic negotiations with Iran to a strategy of intensified economic sanctions and military action, including a reported maritime blockade, following President Trump’s rejection of a previous ceasefire agreement.
In response, Iranian officials have warned of potential military escalation and expanded hostilities, while the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has remained publicly absent since the reported death of his predecessor in February.