The United States has the military capacity to maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, signaling that Washington is prepared to keep economic and military pressure on Tehran as the conflict stretches on.
Speaking to reporters in Panama on Thursday, Hegseth said the U.S. Navy could sustain the operation by rotating ships into and out of the region. His remarks came after addressing sailors aboard the USS Gridley, a guided-missile destroyer that previously operated in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump had said a day earlier that the United States was in control of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically vital waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait.
The war began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. Tehran subsequently restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington imposed a blockade targeting Iranian shipping and ports. The U.S. has said vessels traveling to non-Iranian destinations can continue to receive protection.
Washington has significantly expanded its military presence in the Middle East since the fighting began, deploying tens of thousands of personnel and more than 20 warships. U.S. forces have redirected more than 55 commercial vessels accused of attempting to breach the blockade. Three ships have been disabled and two boarded, according to Reuters.
In a recent confrontation, a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged vessel after the ship allegedly ignored repeated warnings from American forces.
Despite months of military operations, Iran has maintained significant influence over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has also responded with missile and drone attacks against U.S. allies and commercial vessels it says entered the waterway without authorization.
Hegseth’s comments suggest Washington sees the blockade as a long-term tool for pressuring Tehran while negotiations remain stalled. Trump has alternated between warnings of further escalation and statements suggesting a peace agreement could be close, but no settlement has yet ended the conflict.
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