The US Armed Forces have the resources to maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports for as long as necessary, said US Defence Secretary Pete Hagsett on 13 August, against the backdrop of the standoff between Washington and Tehran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The US Navy can maintain the blockade for an unlimited period,” Hagsett told reporters after addressing the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley during the multinational military exercise PANAMAX 2026 in Panama. The destroyer Gridley had previously been deployed to the Middle East.
Hagseth added that the US is capable of maintaining the blockade because it has the ability to “rotate ships” in the region and will continue to redeploy its forces as necessary.
His comments came after a dispute flared up between Washington and Tehran over who has full control of the Strait of Hormuz – a key sea route, through which, prior to the war between the US and Israel against Iran, around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies passed.
President Donald Trump insists that the United States controls the strait, whilst the Iranian military denies this, stating that Tehran retains control and continues to manage shipping through the waterway.
Iran also maintains that the United States must accept all of Tehran’s conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz, in particular paying compensation for war damages.