US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the US Navy has sufficient forces to maintain its blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely, signaling Washington is prepared to sustain military and economic pressure on Tehran as diplomatic efforts remain stalled.
Speaking to reporters in Panama, Hegseth said US warships could be rotated through the region to keep the operation running for as long as required.
“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 said.
His comments came a day after President Donald Trump declared that the United States had “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz and suggested Washington intended to retain that position.
Trump described the naval operation as a “wall of steel,” saying Iran was unable to break the blockade.
The war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran subsequently effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint that previously carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Washington later imposed a naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping and ports while saying vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports would continue to receive protection and freedom of navigation.
The United States has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the Middle East since the conflict began, along with more than 20 warships.
US forces have redirected more than 55 commercial vessels accused of attempting to breach the blockade, according to US officials. Three vessels have been disabled and two boarded.
The operation has also involved direct military action against ships refusing US orders.
Earlier this week, a US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged vessel after it ignored repeated warnings from American forces, according to the US military.
Hegseth’s remarks indicate the Pentagon does not currently view naval capacity as a major constraint on maintaining the blockade, giving the Trump administration the option of continuing pressure on Iran even if negotiations to end the conflict remain deadlocked.