Hegseth later clarified that „the ceasefire is not over“ even though Iranian vessels on Monday fired on U.S. ships guiding vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the U.S. sinking several small Iranian boats.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Iran had attacked the U.S. „more than 10 times“ since the April 8 ceasefire, but it „fell below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.“
“To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury,” Hegseth said. “Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: Protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression.”
The secretary said two US commercial vessels have moved through the strait and six other ships that attempted to violate the blockade of Iranian ports “were all turned around.”
The drawdown, which comes after the country’s leader sparred with President Donald Trump over the Iran war, leaves about 33,000 troops there.
US-Verteidigungsminister Pete Hegseth hat den Abzug von etwa 5.000 US-Soldaten aus Deutschland angeordnet. Man gehe davon aus, dass der Abzug innerhalb der nächsten sechs bis zwölf Monate abgeschlossen sein werde, teilte ein Sprecher des Pentagons mit.
Die Falklandinseln bleiben britisch – und daran wird sich nichts ändern. Mit dieser klaren Botschaft reagierte die Regierung der Falklandinseln im Südatlantik auf Berichte, wonach das Pentagon in Erwägung ziehe, die Souveränitätsansprüche Argentiniens über das Gebiet zu unterstützen – und sich damit gegen Grossbritannien zu stellen.
Wie ein brisanter Reuters-Bericht nahelegte, prüft die US-Regierung diese drastische Massnahme offenbar als Druckmittel gegen das Vereinigte Königreich. Dies, weil London die USA im Krieg gegen den Iran nicht unterstützen möchte.
Argentina‘s government on Friday reiterated its willingness to resume bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom in regards to a sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina knows as the Malvinas and has long claimed sovereignty over.
(April 24, 2026)
Reuters reported on Friday, April 24, that a recent internal Pentagon email had outlined options for the U.S. to punish NATO allies that it believes have inadequately supported its military operations in Iran.
According to the report, the Defense Department has suggested that the U.S. reassess its support for European “imperial possessions,” including the Falkland Islands, and consider suspending Spain’s NATO membership.
„We‘re enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory,“ Caine said.
„We‘re closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ordered and … we‘re prepared and postured to intercept them,“ he said.
The U.S. naval blockade on Iran began on April 13.
Watch the full news conference in the video player above.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping will continue „as long as it takes“ to accomplish America‘s „bold and dangerous“ mission to end Iran‘s threat to global security.
Phelan is a businessman with no prior military service; he and his wife previously fundraised millions of dollars for Trump’s campaign before he was confirmed as Navy secretary in 2025.
“John will be a tremendous force for our Naval servicemembers, and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision,” Trump said at the time. “He will put the business of the US Navy above all else.”
„We are reloading with more power than ever before, and better intelligence,“ Hegseth said at a Pentagon news briefing. „We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We‘d rather not have to do it.“
Press TV‘s investigation found the American attempt to be an extremely high-risk move that could have easily turned into a disaster for the United States and its military.
The destroyers were only a few minutes away from complete destruction after Iranian cruise missiles locked onto the vessel and attack drones were deployed.
When the two destroyers and the accompanying fleet reached the mouth of the Persian Gulf, Iran‘s cruise missiles locked onto them, and the destroyers were given only 30-minutes to turn back. The vessels immediately retreated.
They had attempted to use electronic warfare tactics, including turning off its position reporting system, in a bid to deceive the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) naval forces.
The Pentagon has sent outdated statements on the number of U.S. troops killed or wounded during the Iran war, resulting in undercounts.
Almost 750 U.S. troops have been wounded or killed in the Middle East since October 2023, an analysis by The Intercept has found. But the Pentagon won’t acknowledge it.
(April 2, 2026)
There are discussions about FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving the Trump administration, the Atlantic reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with White House plans.
The timing is uncertain and President Donald Trump has not yet made up his mind, the Atlantic reported.
George found out in a phone call from Hegseth on Thursday while he was in a meeting, a second US official said. He later spoke to his staff in person about the announcement, and his staff was “very stoic” when receiving the news, the official said.
As the Army chief, George has worked closely with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll — a senior official close to the White House whom Hegseth has perceived as a threat and at times had a contentious relationship with.
The remarks by Hegseth at a Pentagon briefing were extraordinary, given that collective defense lies at the heart of the NATO alliance, which was formed in 1949 with the primary aim of countering the risk of Soviet attack on allied territory.
“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up and you said let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” the president said at a Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable in Tennessee.
Hegseth was sitting beside Trump at the roundtable in Memphis.
As the conflict increases in complexity and decreases in popularity with the American public, Trump is trying a new tactic: throwing his Cabinet under the bus.
At a Monday roundtable event with national military and law enforcement leaders, Trump told the audience and reporters that his Secretary of Defense and self styled Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, was actually the person responsible for pushing him to go to war.
On day ten of Operation Epic Fury, we are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives, which are the same as the day I gave my first briefing here on Operation Epic Fury. They‘re straightforward and we are executing them with ruthless precision.
One: destroy their missile stockpiles, their missile launchers and their defense industrial base; missiles and their ability to make them. Two: destroy their Navy. And three: permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever. It‘s a laser focused, maximum authority mission delivered with overwhelming and unrelenting precision, no hesitation, no half measures.
(…)
Second, we continue to strike the Iranian Navy and their capabilities in order to do things like sustain movement through the Straits of Hormuz. And third, we continue to start working on and going deeper into Iran‘s military and industrial base in order to prevent the regime from being able to attack Americans, our interests and our partners for years to come and project power outside their borders. This means servicing production facilities, research and development sites and infrastructure.
(…)
SECRETARY OF WAR PETE HEGSETH: Ultimately, the aftermath is going to be in America‘s interests, our interests. We won’t live under a nuclear blackmail scenario of conventional missiles that can target our people, which is why the objectives have been scoped from the beginning: missiles, missile production, the defense industrial base, navy, all in service of ensuring they don‘t have nuclear power projection capabilities.
That is why Caine’s wording evokes Henry Morgenthau’s wartime vision for Germany. Morgenthau argued that making Germany incapable of renewed aggression required more than smashing its armaments sector. He called for eliminating the metallurgical, electrical, and chemical industries and contemplated a Germany that would become “predominantly agrarian.” Another State Department summary described the plan as looking toward converting Germany into a country “primarily agricultural and pastoral in character.”
No, the administration has not formally announced a Morgenthau Plan for Iran. But that is not the point.
In October 2024, Israel carried out a significant strike targeting Iran‘s missile production and air defenses, saying it could operate „with greater freedom in Iranian airspace.“
Israel conducted another preemptive strike in June 2025, destroying Iranian air defenses so its air forces could attack Iran‘s nuclear facilities. Days later, the US carried out Operation Midnight Hammer aimed at destroying major Iranian nuclear sites.
After that operation, Caine said it didn‘t look like Iran got a shot off at the strike package. „It appears that Iran‘s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us,“ he said.
Senior lawmakers in both parties said Monday that the Trump administration’s decision to launch bombing and missile strikes across Iran this weekend was largely dictated by Israel’s plan to attack Iran with or without U.S. support.
Warner told reporters those officials had explained how, prior to those strikes, Israel had warned it was facing an imminent threat from Tehran. Israel’s plans to attack first, the officials apparently went on, had effectively forced the U.S. into a pre-emptive assault on Iranian targets, on the basis of protecting American military assets across the region from prospective retaliatory strikes by the Islamic regime.
Those known to be in the circle which ordered the strikes were Trump, JD Vance—who flew from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Palm Beach, Florida on Friday—Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio.
Mike Lee, the Republican U.S. Senator for Utah, made clear that there was no notification to members of Congress by using X to raise questions not long after Trump’s social media declaration.
“I look forward to learning what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force,” he said.
ARTICLE 3
1. Any person commits an offence if that person unlawfully and intentionally:
(a) seizes or exercises control over a ship by force or threat thereof or any other form of intimidation; or
(b) performs an act of violence against a person on board a ship if that act is likely to endanger the safe navigation of that ship; or
(c) destroys a ship or causes damage to a ship or to its cargo which is likely to endanger the safe navigation of that ship; or
(d) places or causes to be placed on a ship, by any means whatsoever, a device or
substance which is likely to destroy that ship, or cause damage to that ship or its cargo which endangers or is likely to endanger the safe navigation of that ship; or
(e) destroys or seriously damages maritime navigational facilities or seriously interferes with their operation, if any such act is likely to endanger the safe navigation of a ship; or
(f) communicates information which he knows to be false, thereby endangering the safe navigation of a ship; or
(g) injures or kills any person, in connection with the commission or the attempted
commission of any of the offences set forth in subparagraphs (a) to (f).
2. Any person also commits an offence if that person:
(a) attempts to commit any of the offences set forth in paragraph 1; or
(b) abets the commission of any of the offences set forth in paragraph 1 perpetrated by any person or is otherwise an accomplice of a person who commits such an offence; or
(c) threatens, with or without a condition, as is provided for under national law, aimed at compelling a physical or juridical person to do or refrain from doing any act, to commit any of the offences set forth in paragraph I, subparagraphs (b), (c) and (e), if that threat is likely to endanger the safe navigation of the ship in question.
(…)
ARTICLE 7
1. Upon being satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, any State Party in the territory of which the offender or the alleged offender is present shall, in accordance with its law, take him into custody or take other measures to ensure his presence for such time as is necessary to enable any criminal or extradition proceedings to be instituted.
2. Such State shall immediately make a preliminary inquiry into the facts, in accordance with its own legislation.
Hegseth said „Operation Hawkeye Strike“ was carried out in Syria „to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on Dec. 13 in Palmyra, Syria.
U.S. Central Command also confirmed in a statement that Jordanian fighter aircraft also participated in Friday’s strikes.
„This is not the beginning of a war — It is a declaration of vengeance,“ said Hegseth.
„As I said earlier today on this floor, during the debate on my War Powers Resolution to end this administration’s extrajudicial strikes on boats in the Western Hemisphere, those bombings are not about drugs. If the administration did want to stop drugs, Trump would not have pardoned the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, or Ross Ulbricht, who operated the Silk Road drug marketplace. He wouldn’t be seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Or threatening CIA operations, blockades, and ground strikes on Venezuela.
„It’s not about drugs, it’s about regime change, and it’s about oil. That’s not just me saying that. It’s Trump himself saying it. It’s President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, who said Trump wants to, and I quote, “keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.” And it relies on the magical thinking that military force can bring democracy in Venezuela or anywhere else.
„But his chief of staff also conceded, as any reasonable person with any knowledge of the constitution should, that if Trump, quote, “were to authorize some activity on land, then it’s war, then [we’d need] Congress.”
„On that, she’s right. Congress would need to pass an Authorization for the Use of Military Force if Trump wanted to put boots on the ground or conduct military strikes on Venezuela. And for that, Republicans in Congress would need to cast their vote on whether to commit U.S. armed forces to an open-ended conflict their constituents certainly do not want.
„Trump ran on ending forever wars, but now he’s forgotten what they are. What his own Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth characterized as, quote, “interventionism, undefined wars, regime change, and feckless nation building.” Yet with Venezuela, Trump is provoking a new war right in our backyard and threatening to destabilize an entire region.