Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared April 24 that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain in force indefinitely, framing its duration as contingent on Iran accepting terms for the verifiable abandonment of its nuclear weapons program. Hegseth made the statement during a Pentagon news conference, saying the blockade will continue "as long as it takes." The declaration came three days after President Trump indefinitely extended a prior two-week ceasefire with Iran, preserving a pause in kinetic strikes while the maritime interdiction campaign continues. Trump announced that the Navy's blockade would continue until talks with Iranian officials are concluded.
Hegseth echoed Trump's recent position that the U.S. controls the timeline for Operation Epic Fury, which has continued for nearly two months. Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28, 2026, is the U.S. code name for its joint military operations with Israel against Iran. The administration has not publicly cited a specific statutory authorization for the blockade, though the president's commander-in-chief authority under Article II and the War Powers Resolution provide the framework most frequently invoked in internal Pentagon guidance. The White House has also resisted characterizing the naval interdiction as an act of war against neutral shipping, maintaining instead that the blockade targets Iranian-flagged or Iranian-port-originating vessels. Iran has criticized the naval blockade and argued it constitutes a breach of the ceasefire.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine provided updated operational metrics at the same briefing. As of the morning of April 24, 34 ships had met the U.S. blockade and turned around, Caine said. One vessel, the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska, did not comply and was seized. Caine described the interdiction: over a six-hour period, the Touska's crew repeatedly ignored U.S. warnings before a Navy destroyer executed "a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots." Separately, two stateless vessels linked to Iran, the M/T Tifani and M/T Majestic X, were also interdicted; their crews remain in U.S. custody, and both interdictions occurred within U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's area of responsibility, including the Indian Ocean. Caine confirmed the military will continue maritime interdiction operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the so-called dark fleet.
Hegseth signaled an escalation in blockade enforcement. He said a second U.S. aircraft carrier will join the blockade effort "in just a few days." He also warned that the military "will shoot to destroy" any Iranian ships laying mines in the Strait, stating that Trump has authorized the Navy to "shoot and kill" any fast boat attempting to place mines or disrupt passage. The mine-clearance timeline adds pressure to the administration's posture: Hegseth declined to say how long clearing the Strait will take, following an Associated Press report that the Pentagon had briefed Congress the process could take up to six months. Strategically, the blockade's geographic scope extends beyond the Strait itself. Hegseth renewed calls for Asian and European nations to join the effort, arguing those allies "have benefited from our protection for decades" but that "the time for free riding is over."
The economic stakes of a protracted blockade are significant. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint that normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil. The price of crude oil rose above $105 a barrel in early trading April 24, as uncertainty over Hormuz continued to cloud market outlooks. The war's economic impact includes the world's largest oil supply disruption since the 1970s energy crisis, along with surges in oil and gas prices and volatility in financial markets. On the diplomatic track, Trump administration envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to travel to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iranian counterparts, the White House announced April 24. Iran's foreign minister, meanwhile, said he is embarking on a tour of Islamabad, Moscow, and Muscat to coordinate with partners on bilateral matters and regional developments, though Iranian state media reported there are "no negotiations with the Americans on the agenda."
References:
[1] CBS News. (2026, April 24). Hegseth says U.S. blockade of Iranian vessels to continue for "as long as it takes." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-caine-news-conference-iran-war-ceasefire-lebanon-israel-hormuz-4-23/
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