The United States has no intention of easing its naval blockade of Iran anytime soon. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the blockade of Iranian vessels and ports will continue “as long as it takes,” signalling the Trump administration is not in a rush to negotiate a peace deal.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth echoed President Donald Trump’s recent remarks, stating the US is firmly in control of the timeline for Operation Epic Fury, now nearly two months old.
“All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways, or instead they can watch the regime’s fragile economic state collapse under the unrelenting pressure of American power, a blockade as long as it takes, whatever President Trump decides,” Hegseth said. “The clock is not on their side.”
‘We have all the time in the world, and we’re not anxious for a deal’
On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the US took out Iran’s military in the first four weeks of the war and was now “sitting back and seeing what deal” would emerge. Hegseth reinforced that position: “President Trump said it again yesterday. We have all the time in the world, and we’re not anxious for a deal.”
The defence secretary said Operation Epic Fury had delivered a “decisive military result” in weeks, with the mission focused on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
‘Our blockade is growing and going global’
Hegseth said the operation is now entering a new phase and that Iran has an opening to negotiate. “Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal. A good deal. A wise deal,” he said. He described the US blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz as “ironclad” and confirmed that a second aircraft carrier will be joining the blockade in the coming days. “Our blockade is growing and going global,” he added.
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‘Time for free-riding by allies is over’
Hegseth called the campaign against Iran “a gift to the world” and warned that allied nations can no longer rely on Washington to shoulder the burden alone. He said securing key energy routes should be a shared responsibility, describing the Hormuz chokepoint as “more Europe and Asia’s fight than the US’s.”
“Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free riding is over,” he said.
‘We will shoot to destroy. No hesitation’
Following Trump’s directive for the Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat placing mines in the strait, Hegseth confirmed that US commanders have clear rules of engagement. “If Iran is putting mines in the water, or otherwise threatening American commercial shipping or American forces, we will shoot to destroy. No hesitation,” he said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine provided an operational update on the blockade, stating that 34 ships had turned around, while one vessel the M/V Touska was seized. Two other stateless vessels linked to Iran, the M/T Tifani and M/T Majestic X, were interdicted, and their crew members remain in US custody.
