The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is still in place, the US defense secretary said on Saturday, and warned that Washington is ready to resort to military action again if diplomatic efforts fail to secure a deal that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Anadolu reports.
“The blockade is very much still in place,” Pete Hegseth said in Singapore, where he addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.
“Once a deal is had or not, depending on the choice they make, it will be an open strait, a toll-free strait that the entire world can use, which is the way that it should be,” Hegseth said.
“Right now, we’re focused on being postured and prepared to reengage if we have to,” the Pentagon chief added, but said he is “confident” that the US will get a deal that serves the interests of the American people.
Speaking about Iran’s assertion that Tehran controls the strategic waterway, Hegseth said: “They want to say that they control the strait, but we do, and everything behind the scenes shows that we are in control when it comes to that, including how the dynamics of the negotiation are coming together.”
