Secretary of War Pete Hegseth taunted the Iranian regime as a group of "pirates and terrorists" during a Thursday morning press briefing and laid into the "legacy Trump-hating press."
"We have a long track record of dealing with pirates and terrorists," Hegseth said, warning the Islamic Republic against testing the U.S. blockade in the Persian Gulf. "For as long as it takes, we will maintain this successful blockade. But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power, and energy."
Hegseth then turned his attention to reporters assembled at the Pentagon for the briefing, chiding them for publishing an "endless stream of garbage" that seeks to undermine U.S. warfighters.
Hegseth recalled sitting in church this past Sunday and listening to readings from the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus' historic detractors dismissed his efforts to heal the sick.
"I sat there in church and I thought, our press are just like these Pharisees—not all of you, not all of you—but the legacy Trump-hating press, your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors," Hegseth said. "The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn. I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this president and this historic moment for a deal that could end the Iranian nuclear threat." The press "bent over backwards during the Biden administration," Hegseth continued, describing the botched 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan that left 13 U.S. service members dead as "the greatest airlift in American history," he said. "It's almost like you're cheering only for one side."
Hegseth went on to explain the consequences of the U.S. blockade.
"The math is clear," he told reporters at the Pentagon three days after the U.S. military began enforcing a blockade meant to cripple Iran's multibillion-dollar energy trade. "We're using 10 percent of the world's most powerful navy, and you have zero percent of your navy. That's real control."
The blockade has the potential to deprive the Islamic Republic of billions in revenue it generates from illicit oil sales to U.S. adversaries like China, which imports roughly 90 percent of Tehran's crude. Iran stands to lose around $435 million per day in "combined economic damage" across its imports and exports, or about $13 billion a month, according to former Treasury Department official Miad Maleki.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, speaking alongside Hegseth, said the U.S. military has successfully turned around 13 separate vessels that approached the blockade.
Those 13 ships, Caine said, "have made the wise choice of turning around" and any other "vessel that compares to comply with our instructions will be dealt with accordingly." Thus far, United States forces have not needed to board any ships, though that remains a possibility if Tehran’s fleet attempts to penetrate the blockade in the coming days.
Caine made clear that the blockade "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports," but that it is "not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz," like the one Iran claims to be enforcing in competition with the United States. The U.S. blockade allows ships that are not entering or leaving from Iranian ports to traverse the Gulf.
Soon after the operations began on Monday, American forces "began to hunt for potential interdictors," including at least "seven ships of interest that were of concern for us," Caine said.
Around two hours into the blockade, Caine noted, "attempted blockade runners" tried to "hop the line," but were confronted by a "range of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and tactical assets."
"These runners began to see sense and feel America's combat power compressing upon them," Caine said.
U.S. forces have turned around "multiple ships," 12 of which remained "inside the blockade line" and one that "turned around before even attempting" to breach the perimeter, Caine said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, said that U.S. intelligence networks are actively monitoring Iran's efforts to dig up missile launchers and other equipment during the ceasefire.
"We know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to while you are digging out, which is exactly what you're doing, digging out of bombed-out and devastated facilities," he said. You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them."
The United States is currently "reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence," Hegseth said.
