US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has sharpened Washington’s messaging on the escalating confrontation with Iran, asserting that the United States effectively “controls” the Strait of Hormuz through sustained maritime operations and a tightening blockade strategy that he says has kept global shipping moving despite Iranian resistance.
Speaking outside US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Pete Hegseth said American forces were not just reacting to threats in the region but actively shaping conditions in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways.
