May 5 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the U.S. mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was a temporary one and doesn’t indicate an end to the cease-fire with Iran.
“The cease-fire is not over,” he said during a press briefing at the Pentagon, despite clashes between Iranian forces and the U.S. Navy attempting to escort commercial ships attempting to pass through the strait Monday.
“This operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury,” Hegseth said.
He added that the United States’ “temporary mission” to protect commercial ships in the strait was a “direct gift” to other nations impacted by Iran shutting down the shipping lane amid the war.
“We expect the world to step up at the appropriate time, and soon we will hand responsibility back to you,” Hegseth said.
Iran effectively shut down access to the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country began Feb. 28. About 20% of the world’s oil passes through the waterway.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 1,550 commercial ships were waiting to transit the strait. Speaking at the press briefing Tuesday, he said Iran has fired on commercial ships nine times, seizing two of them.
He said the attacks are “below harassing fire right now.”
“It feels like Iran is grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank.”
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