Hegseth
says ceasefire 'is not over'
Hegseth
says the ceasefire “is not over” despite the attacks from Iran on commercial
shipping vessels.
“We said
we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows
that, and ultimately, the president can make a decision whether anything were
to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire,” he said.
Asked
what the threshold for restarting major operations would be, Caine says it is a
political decision.
He adds
that current Iranian action is “low level” and amounts to “harassment” at this
moment in time.
Meanwhile,
Hegseth chief tells a journalist that, contrary to reports, Iran does not have
“kamikaze dolphins”.
Updated
at
13.31 BST
20m ago
13.15 BST
Caine
says some 22,500 mariners remain trapped in the strait of Hormuz and are unable
to transit.
He says
commercial vessels in the region will feel US military power around them in the
seas and the skies.
The joint
force is “ready to resume major combat operations” against Iran if ordered to
do, he adds.
22m ago
13.13 BST
Joint
chiefs of the staff chair Dan Caine says Iran has continued to attack its
neighbours, referring to yesterday’s strikes on Oman and the United Arab
Emirates.
Speaking
about Operation Freedom, he says Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine
times and seized two container ships since the ceasefire was announced.
General
Caine says the Iranian attacks have all fallen below the threshold of
restarting major combat operations at this point.
Updated
at
13.29 BST
25m ago
13.10 BST
The US
will not need to enter Iranian airspace or waters as part of the reopening of
the strait of Hormuz, Hegseth says.
“Hundreds
of ships are lining up to transit” the strait, he says. This is a “temporary
mission” for the US, he adds.
“Project
Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration,
with one mission, protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian
aggression. American forces won’t need to enter Iranian waters or airspace.
It’s not necessary. We’re not looking for a fight.” Hegseth says during a
briefing.
However,
Hegseth says that Iran “will face overwhelming firepower” if it attacks
commercial shipping and that he expects the rest of the world to “step up” to
protect the waterway “at the appropriate time”.
Updated
at
13.18 BST
28m ago
13.07 BST
Hegseth
kicks off the press conference by talking about Project Freedom, which he says
is separate from the wider war operation Project Epic Fury.
The
Pentagon chief says Iran has acted aggressively towards “innocent countries”
whose ships are trying to pass through the strait of Hormuz.
He says
Iran is “embarrassed” and although it says it controls the strait, “it does
not”.
Hegseth
says the United States has established a “dome” across the strait as a “gift to
the rest of the world”. The blockade remains “iron-clad” and in force, he says.
Six ships
tried to break through the blockade from Iranian ports, he adds, but they were
stopped by US forces.
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