"How Did Iran Halt Shipping?" Murray CONFRONTS Hegseth Over U.S. Hormuz Control Claim

[00:00:00]claimed that Iran doesn't control the Strait, and you said that there was a {quote} "powerful red, white, and blue dome over the Strait." If that was true, how did Iran shrink ship traffic in the Strait to trick to a trickle again last week? Like most Americans, I've had a lot of trouble following this administration's contradictory statements about the war. On April 8th, you said, and I quote, "Their missile program is functionally destroyed, launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective."

[00:00:34]Mr. Secretary, Iran has been firing at US military bases in the region and ships for the last week. How is it possible, if their capabilities were {quote} "functionally destroyed" 3 months earlier as you claimed, for them to be doing this now?

[00:00:50]>> Senator, Iran is at the weakest point militarily it has ever been in in the past decade. Certainly, maybe in 47 years as they've gathered effectively a terror army. And that terror army was built to try to create conventional capability to defend against a pursuit of nuclear weapons, which meant thousands of ballistic missiles, many of which we have destroyed, others of which they have put inside facilities and hidden in underground facilities. That's what terror regimes would do. So, I acknowledge they still have capabilities, no doubt. Uh but the amount of the amount of damage that we've done to them over the course of of the of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they've ever been.

[00:01:26]>> Okay, well, let me move on.

[00:01:28]On May 5th, you claimed that Iran doesn't control the Strait, and you said that there was a {quote} "powerful red, white, and blue dome over the Strait."

[00:01:36]If that was true, how did Iran shrink ship traffic in the Strait to trick to a trickle again last week?

[00:01:43]>> We pushed almost, I believe, between 400 and 500 million barrels of oil under the nose of Iran over the course of Project Freedom, which went underground, which I acknowledged after we did so covertly because it It more effective to do so quietly than to do so publicly. So, we've been in control of moving traffic through there for quite some time. Will they retain the ability to recklessly shoot at commercial shipping? And that's what happened. We had a ceasefire, and then they shot at commercial shipping >> Well, you also said at that same uh press conference, and I'm going to quote you, um you urged Iran to quote, "Let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran to tax, toll, or control." Last week, President Trump said the US would charge a 20% toll to each ship to pass through the strait.

[00:02:29]So, based on your opposition to tolls, did you talk to the the president out of that idea, or did someone else?

[00:02:37]>> Um Iran's not charging tolls, and they're shooting at ships right now.

[00:02:42]>> But, Trump said that he wanted to charge a 20% toll.

[00:02:46]>> Uh we we have a blockade right now of all Iranian ships and Iranian ports, [clears throat] and uh it's it's effective.

[00:02:51]>> My time is out.

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