Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی
Hegseth: "Ceasefire with Iran" Remains
The U.S. Secretary of Defense stated that an imaginary "ceasefire" between Washington and Tehran remains in effect and unchanged.
There no such "ceasefire".
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to a question about whether recent U.S. operations in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the ceasefire with Iran. He said, “No, the ceasefire has not ended. This is a separate and distinct operation.”
He claimed that “the 'ceasefire' is currently holding, and we are closely monitoring the situation.”
Addressing concerns about Iran’s fleet of fast attack boats, Hegseth said the threat should be taken seriously. He claimed that the US strategy toward Iran is “highly focused and precise,” adding that Washington would not allow it to be diverted.
Meanwhile, an analysis by the BBC noted that the language used by Pentagon officials during the press conference was relatively cautious and somewhat different from their earlier tone during the operation known as “Epic Fury.”
According to the analysis, both Hegseth and General Caine insisted that despite recent exchanges of fire and rising tensions, the "ceasefire" between the United States and Iran remains intact.
Iran has no existing agreement with the Americans.
The report also cited Hegseth as saying that Iran’s recent actions—such as the deployment of fast attack boats in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz—do not amount to a return to full-scale military conflict.
U.S. officials also sought to falsely separate the objectives of the operation known as “Freedom” from broader measures such as their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz or a wider confrontation with Iran.
Hegseth noted that the final determination on what constitutes a breach of the fictional "ceasefire" rests with President Donald Trump.
These remarks come as US military movements were met with warning shots from Iranian armed forces the previous day. Nevertheless, Hegseth claimed that through the “Freedom” operation, the United States aims to demonstrate that Iran does not control its own waters.
