Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff update on war with Iran

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]our aircraft and this mission without hesitation.

[00:00:04]To Iran, let innocent ships pass freely.

[00:00:08]These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran to tax, toll, or control.

[00:00:17]To our partner partners, allies, and the rest of the world, this is a temporary mission for us. As I've said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We're stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up at the appropriate time and soon we will hand responsibility back to you.

[00:00:41]To the incredible Americans executing this mission right now, simply thank you. Your courage, your readiness, your unmatched professionalism and precision are why the world can breathe easier today and every day. You are and always will be the greatest fighting force in human history. Unmatched always.

[00:01:01]Project freedom is underway. Commerce will be flowing. And America is once again leading with strength, clarity, and purpose for the benefit of the entire world. Our will is unshakable.

[00:01:14]God bless our troops and God bless the mighty United States Navy as well. Mr. Chairman, over to you.

[00:01:19]>> Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good morning everyone. Thanks for being here.

[00:01:22]On Sunday, at the direction of the president, SenCom initiated Project Freedom with the objective of facilitating the safe passage of international commercial shipping through the Straight of Hormuz. Over the past seven weeks, Iran's repeatedly threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the strait in order to effectively cut off commercial traffic and damage the global economy by obstructing one of the world's most critical maritime checkpoints, a vital transit route for approximately 1ifth of the global oil consumption. Iran is rep weaponizing the global supply chain.

[00:01:58]This action disregards established navigational rights and the law of the sea and the regime led by the IRGC is effectively attempting to hold the entire global economy hostage. Let me give you an update of the last few days of activities. And if you take a look at the map here, um as the secretary said, the United States has established project freedom to open up the straight of Hormuz. This graphic highlights the kinetic engagements that the Iranians have attempted to make or have taken against the uh the region. The green dots and blue dots show the groupings of commercial cargo and tanker vessels. and the United States has established a significant presence over the strait here in order to open up the free flow of commerce. Noting the blockade can still still continues along the uh the eastern flank. The map shows the examples and samples of Iranian attacks against commercial vessels in the strait as well as the Gulf of Gulf of Oman and up in the Arabian and Gulf Arabian Gulf.

[00:03:02]Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships and they've attacked US forces more than 10 times. All below the threshold of uh of restarting uh major combat operations at this point. You can also see the group of tankers and cargo vessels in the US blockade line. As I mentioned, as a result of Iran's indiscriminate attacks across the region, there are currently two thou 22,500 mariners embarked on more than 1,550 commercial vessels trapped in the Iranian Gulf, unable to transit. In addition to shipping, Iran has continued to deliberately attack its neighbors.

[00:03:48]Just yesterday, Iran attacked Oman once and the UAE three times, including an attack on Fujara oil terminal, which was successfully defeated. They also launched cruise missiles, drones, small boats at US forces defending commercial shipping in the straits, and United States Navy MH60 helicopters, and Army AH64 Apache helicopters successfully defeated those threats. Thus far, uh, today is quieter. Let me describe this defensive operation just a few clicks down for you. As the secretary said, Project Freedom is designed to protect commercial shipping and help restore the flow of commerce through the straight and sustain freedom of navigation.

[00:04:33]Sentcom has established an enhanced security area on the southern side of the straight that is now protected by US land, naval, and air assets to help defeat further Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. I'd like to share a little bit more about US capabilities, but for operational security purposes, I'm not going to get into specific details out there. On the surface, guided missile destroyers and other warships are detecting and defeating Iranian threats. This includes fastboats and one-way attack drones. In the air, more than 100 fighters, attack aircraft, and other manned and unmanned aircraft synchronized by the 82nd Airborne Division are in the air 24 hours a day providing defensive overwatch for the enhanced security area and its approaches that I discussed.

[00:05:28]These forces are comprised of over 15,000 American service members and have established localized air and sea control to protect against Iranian threats. Commercial vessels that transit through the area will see, hear, and frankly feel US combat power around them on the sea, in the skies, and on the radio. And as of this morning, as as was mentioned prior, two US flag merchant vessels have transited and we anticipate more to transit over the coming days.

[00:06:02]Further up the Gulf, US Naval Forces Central Command continues to work to identify and mitigate any threats.

[00:06:10]Beyond Project Freedom, SenCom and the rest of the Joint Force remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so. No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve. And the president has said, as the secretary has, that now is the time for those with equity stake in the strait to come assist. Before I turn it back to the secretary, I want to take a moment to highlight uh part of our joint force today. And today, I want to talk about the paratroopers of the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. When the president or the secretary need immediate, scalable, and lethal combat power in Sentcom or elsewhere, the All-American Division answers the call.

[00:06:54]The 82nd is the core of our nation's immediate response force and ready to deploy within hours of notice. These paratroopers are capable of accomplishing any mission in any environment. constantly training, constantly ready to jump from air force aircraft into ground combat and seize key terrain if ordered to do so, just like their predecessors did in Sicily and Normandy in World War II, or to secure or enable the followon forces to flow into theater as they did in Grenada or Panama. They can do the range of missions from counterinsurgency to counterterrorism operations to power projection as they have many times over the course of the history of this great division. They can do all these things because they're incredibly well-trained, well equipped, and well led, but also because of the indomitable spirit of the all-American paratrooper. Every single one of them volunteered for this uh role, volunteered to go to airborne training and volunteered to serve. But this division is now more than just a formation that we use for forcible entries. For example, just today they are out there coordinating, integrating and synchronizing land, air, space, sea and cyber forces using all joint all domain command and control. They use next generation tactical networks that are AI enabled to augment intelligence and operations and they seamlessly synchronize all of these effects and are doing so in support of project freedom as we speak. The relentless focus on technical innovation allows the commanders out there in the field to see, sense, and understand the opportunities that are in front of them along with the associated risks and make smart decisions out on the objective with incredible courage, tenacity, and grit. They are going all the way every day. And whenever the nation calls on them, they are there to answer the call.

[00:08:59]We are grateful for their service and their leadership.

[00:09:03]Lastly, before I close, as I often do, I want to remember some of our fallen.

[00:09:07]Today, we remember Sergeant William Rivers, Specialist Briana Moffett, and Specialist Kennedy Sanders of the 718th Engineering Company, US Army Reserves, out of Fort Benning, Georgia. They were tragically killed on January 28th, 2024 when attacked by an Iranianbacked proxy force at Tower 22 in Jordan. We continue to carry on their memories. We remember their names. We remember their families and the secretary and I are deeply grateful for all of our deployed forces who are out there doing our nation's work. And sir, with that, I'll kick it back over to you.

[00:09:48]>> We'll take a few questions. Go ahead.

[00:09:51]Thank you. Um, Alexander Angresol, One American News. Do you assess, Mr. Secretary, do you assess what's left of this small boat fleet to be a significant threat or a nuisance to be managed? And then secondly, what is your message to critics who say that the US doesn't have a strategy in this mission?

[00:10:10]>> Well, any threat needs to be taken seriously. uh and and just like those six attack boats that the chairman mentioned were taken seriously and and dealt with before there were any real threat uh to the American military vessels uh that they were approaching and that is it small craft like that are all that Iran has left. Uh their ability to get close with uh a destroyer of of the capabilities that we have is is is limited, but we're going to take it very seriously and um kinetically quickly.

[00:10:39]We're not going to allow a threat to gather. uh and I can tell you um even from just this morning uh the strategy remains laser focused. Uh in fact what I think you see from project freedom is that we're not allowing ourselves to get distracted where this is a separate and distinct effort temporary in nature that we plan to hand over the world. The world has expressed a desire to be a part of this. As is often the case or maybe almost always the case. American leadership is required. So the president was willing to undertake this. send commercial ships through, send destroyers in, provide this red, white and blue bubble of protection and encourage the world to step up because ultimately this waterway is is as I said far more crucial to the rest of the world and they need to be have the ability to defend it. So I think this is a reflection of a of a laser focused strategy actually right here.

[00:11:26]>> Morning Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman, David Z, real America's voice. I wanted to ask you of any of the fast boats that have been either sunk or identified, are there any armaments larger than say small uh you know AK-47 type stuff or any anti-ship cruise missiles identified? And my second question is if there's a divide between the IRGC and Tyrron, is there a way to get Tyrron to agree to let us go after the IRGC um that that is doing these attacks um without violating the ceasefire?

[00:11:55]Well, right now anything coming at our crafts, regardless of what's on it, is is uh is has to be defended against and that's the case. I don't know what the exact armaments were on those fast boats, >> small arms. Nothing nothing significant on the fast boats, >> rifles or small machine guns. Uh there were some small coastal cruise missiles shot down as well. So there's been there I think the there's some frothiness in the beginning aspects of this that were dealt with very directly by our destroyers and and we're communicating both overtly and and quietly to the Iranians to uh allow this defensive operation to happen on behalf of the world. Uh there are some actions the IRGC takes sometimes that are outside the bounds of what maybe Iranian negotiators would like. Uh that's their job to rein that in uh and ultimately create a condition for a deal. Right?

[00:12:43]That's not something I talked about in these remarks, but that's happening in real time. Iran has an ability uh to make that deal. But what we're demonstrating with Project Freedom is they don't control the straight. I mean, we know Iran is embarrassed by the fact that our blockade is holding and we can run ships through and we're going to help the world run ships through. Uh and if they hold it at issue, uh the whole world knows who's doing it. It's not us.

[00:13:06]We're willing to open it up. Uh it's Iran and that creates a dilemma for them. We hope they make a deal.

[00:13:11]>> Yes.

[00:13:12]>> Thank you, sir. Uh my first question is for General Kane, Mary Margaret with the Daily Wire. You said that uh the attacks by Iran so far are below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.

[00:13:23]What is that threshold? And then uh for Secretary Huggsath, are there still concerns about mines in the straight?

[00:13:28]And can you kind of clarify these reports of kamicazi dolphins that we've heard about?

[00:13:35]>> I haven't heard the kamicazi dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right? Um uh the threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade. What I'll say is it's more low harassing fire right now. It feels like Iran is grasping its straws to try to do something across the southern flank. To to your question, David, their command and control structure remains very fractured and uh I think they're struggling to maintain control down echelon at the edge, but um we're still it's still pretty lowlevel kinetics at this point in time. Uh and I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamicazi dolphins. Uh but I can confirm they don't. Uh ultimately uh the any follow- on effort if there are mines identified would be something that uh our our some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake. But right now we know we have a lane of safe passage that commercial shipping can uh can flow through.

[00:14:30]>> Uh thank you Secretary Hath. Um last 24 hours or so Iran's fired at us. We fired at Iran. Just going to ask you more directly. Is the ceasefire over?

[00:14:40]>> No, the ceasefire is not over. Uh ultimately this is a separate and distinct project. Uh and we expected there would be some uh some churn at the beginning which which happened and we said we would defend and defend aggressively and we absolutely have. Iran knows that uh and ultimately uh the president's going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire. But certainly we would urge Iran to be prudent uh in the actions that they take to keep that underneath this threshold. This is about the straits. This is about freedom of navigation. This is about international waterways. This is about free flow of commerce. All the things that happened before uh and only Iran is contesting.

[00:15:20]Uh so so right now the the ceasefire certainly holds, but uh we're going to be watching very very closely.

[00:15:26]>> Absolutely.

[00:15:26]>> Secretary James, go ahead.

[00:15:28]>> Mr. Secretary, thank you. General, thank you. I want to first express my gratitude and admiration for the work you do and for everyone involved in our armed forces and also for the accomplishments of operation epic uh fury which I think are too often uh uh dismissed too lightly. Uh but those accomplishments don't obscure I think a central default that has occurred here and I would like you both to address it.

[00:15:54]On the first day of this conflict, President Trump addressed the Iranian people directly and said, "When we're finished, take over your government.

[00:16:02]It'll be yours to take." And then on the seventh day of the conflict, in a truth social post, the president said, quote, "There will be no deal with Iran except all caps exclamation mark unconditional surrender."

[00:16:17]What happens to that pledge to the Iranians? And when did the president decide to capitulate on his demand for unconditional surrender?

[00:16:26]>> Well, James, I wouldn't uh I wouldn't.

[00:16:29]You started out nicely, but you ended exactly where we knew you would end. Uh the president hasn't capitulated on anything. Uh he holds the cards. We remain the we maintain the upper hand, and project freedom only strengthens that hand. And so he will ensure that whatever deal is made or whatever end state is reached uh creates uh ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon which is a number one and he's been focused on that and the deal and discussions are centered on that and what the Iranian people take advantage of after the fact is up to them and he's been very clear about that and maybe you do it now maybe it happens later but ultimately he he's also been clear we're not going to entangle this into some nation building project. Our objectives are clear. They're they're uh they've been pursued from day one. Hopefully, the Iranian people take advantage of that because they're being taken advantage of by this regime. As you know, 45,000 Iranians, innocent Iranians killed before the outset of this. That's what this government does, kills their own innocent civilians. Getting out from underneath that is is going to be a challenge of the Iranian people, and we certainly hope they take advantage of that. Thank you.

[00:17:33]>> Follow one follow, please. Go ahead everybody else. Everybody else follows directives.

[00:17:39]Go ahead.

[00:17:39]>> Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Can you share any information regarding the South Korean ship that was reportedly hit by Iran? Is Soul in contact with the US military about it? And is there any indication that they would heed Trump's call made on social media to join uh Project Freedom?

[00:17:54]>> We hope so. We're in contact with that ship, Sentcom, I should say. Uh and the maritime coordination forces are are in touch. And I think targeting like that is a reflection of the indiscriminate nature of what Iran is doing. We hope South Korea would step up, just like we hope Japan would step up, just like we hope Australia would step up, just like we hope Europe steps up, but we're not waiting for them to do so. We're looking to set the conditions to hand to them.

[00:18:17]But the president was clear in his truth message that, hey, this is your ship.

[00:18:21]You should take part in helping to defend it. Uh we very much hope they do.

[00:18:26]>> Mr. Secretary, in terms of new US intelligence reports suggest that the timeline for the reward in Iran to get a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, still at 9 to 12 months. Is that intelligence wrong? How can this be after so much bombing? And for General Kaine, going on back onto what you're talking about the stray of Hormuse, the president recently said that the blockade is even more effective than bombing. So why didn't we start the campaign with a blockade and initially?

[00:18:49]How many planned ships do you plan to escort or take through commercial ships to the straight of Hormuz today or in the coming days?

[00:18:57]>> Well, we don't discuss the specifics about intel and anybody that does shouldn't be and I can't confirm or deny whether that is indeed correct.

[00:19:05]Speculation as far as I'm concerned coming coming from you. But ultimately what operation midnight hammer did in the obliteration of those facilities was set back their program. And then because of the efforts of that 12-day war, president was able to recognize that this threat while they continued to seek nuclear capabilities. Their their will was still there to seek a nuclear bomb.

[00:19:25]Ultimately, they were creating a conventional umbrella of so many missiles and so many capabilities that no one would want to challenge them.

[00:19:31]Think of the North Korea. This is the North Korea strategy. We have so many conventional capabilities. You won't do something about it. and underneath that we're going to develop more nuclear capabilities. So the will was still there. President Trump had the courage to say we have to dismantle and take on that those conventional capabilities while th while the dust while the nuclear facilities are watched 24/7 and overwatched and we will ensure one way or another hopefully Iran chooses a deal that they give up those ambitions give up those capabilities uh and and we're able to confirm that every step of the way. So that has been President Trump's been focused on it. He's set them back like no other president. He ripped up the terrible deal that would have given them a bomb. He took care of it in Midnight Hammer. We're watching it right now. Uh and ultimately feel good about the fact that the end state will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.

[00:20:21]>> Go ahead.

[00:20:21]>> Sir, I'll let Sencom talk to the number of ships are going to take through because they're the nearest ones to talking to the commercial shippers and I don't want to get out in front of them.

[00:20:30]uh on the order and sequence around the military objectives. That's a decision the president and the secretary go get us out and at the time we were focused on the primary objectives that were in front of us. Thank you.

[00:20:41]>> Um Ryan Morgan with the Epic Times. Uh on Friday, President Trump notified Congress that the hostilities that began on February 28th had terminated. Um that came on the uh deadline of the 60-day uh war powers deadline. Um, will this administration be seeking congressional approval for any further military operations if the ceasefire breaks down?

[00:21:08]Um, our our our view is is the one you described that ultimately um with the with the ceasefire the clock stops. If it were to restart, that would be the president's decision. Uh that option is always there and and and Iran knows that and that's why you know the uh their their choices in project freedom are important. The president retains the uh the opportunity and the capabilities, more capabilities than we had at the start of this to restart major combat operations if necessary. If Iran is not willing to follow through on on its side of the bargain or make a deal, then the War Department is postured, locked, loaded, and ready to go. Uh we hope it doesn't have to go in that direction, but Admiral Cooper and our forces are in a three-point stance and ready to go.

[00:21:51]Yeah, last question.

[00:21:52]>> Thank you. Liam Cosgrove with Zero Hedge. Uh, in recent weeks, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's head of MSAD have stated their intent not to cease uh, combat with the Iranians. Netanyahu put this on Twitter.

[00:22:05]Israel's head of Msad said, "Israel's goals are not finished until the Iranian government collapses." And so, they're referring to the government that President Trump has brokered a ceasefire with and is working on a lasting peace um, in the region with. And so, that's, you know, something many Americans, especially American farmers, are hoping he does get to a lasting peace. And uh so if President Trump is successful in that and the Israelis are explicitly stating their intent to continue fighting at a later date, how can you ensure America doesn't get roped back into a war if that comes? And secondly, uh with Netanyahu comfortable tweeting something like that out and also Netanyahu has continued bombing Lebanon despite President Trump experience based on the false premise that somehow President Trump is being pulled in by Prime Minister Netanyahu to any of these actions. And I'm that's where you're going. Just to be clear, President Trump has led at every step of this based on his view of American interest in America first. And we're grateful that Israelis have been very capable partners at many steps of this and they may have some objectives at times that are slightly different than ours, but there's only one hand on the wheel ultimately directing this, whether it's Project Freedom or previously Operation Epic Fury, and it's President Trump. So, we're grateful for their input, their insights, the existential nature of the threat they face from an Iranian bomb, the capabilities that they can bring to that, but ultimately the coordination will happen with the leadership of President Trump. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you.