Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday warned Iran to “choose wisely ... we're watching you”.
“We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them,” he told reporters. “You can dig out for now, but you can't reconstitute, but we can.” He added that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is the “polite thing we can do”.
“The math is clear. We're using 10 per cent of the world's most powerful navy, and you have zero per cent of your navy, that's real control,” he said. “You, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran.”
The US this week initiated a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz aimed at blocking vessels from visiting Iranian territory. Mr Hegseth said the blockade will be in place for “as long as it takes”.
“But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy,” he said, echoing threats made by President Donald Trump before the ceasefire.
According to US Central Command (Centcom), over the past 72 hours, 14 vessels have turned around in compliance with the US blockade.
Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, clarified that the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz was not an action against the waterway, but against ships entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastlines.
“This blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports,” Gen Caine told reporters. He added that US forces in the area will “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran”.
Gen Caine displayed a map that showed the general line of the blockade, but said the map did not show just how congested the area is, nor the “massive, massive force of fighters, intelligence aircraft, helicopters and other embarked forces” in the area.
He said that in confronting ships attempting to run the blockade, a US vessel – usually a destroyer – along with air power, moves towards them and transmits a warning message.
“Any ship that would cross the blockade would result in our sailors executing pre-planned tactics designed to bring the force to that ship, if need be, board the ship and take her over,” Gen Caine explained. “And that includes a series of escalated force options, which could include warning shots.” Gen Caine said that US forces have not yet needed to board any vessel.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Centcom, praised Gulf countries for their resilience and dedication.
“My discussion with regional allies and partners, both at the senior civilian level and the senior military level, reinforced our shared commitment to regional security,” he said. “But beyond that, having now fought together side by side, I assess that our military partnerships are stronger than ever.”
He added that the message he had heard from allied countries was “we stand with you”, and called Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan “exceptional teammates”.
