'Ceasefire is not over': Pete Hegseth says truce survives despite fresh attacks

In the wake of flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stressed the ceasefire is "not over" between the US and Iran.

"No, the ceasefire is not over," he said in the press conference, describing the incident, which involved firing at each other's ships at sea as "a separate and distinct project".

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He further clarified that the fresh attacks fell under 'Project Freedom' - a military mission by the U.S. to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz and not related to the 'Epic Fury' campaign.

This distinction signals the broader truce is intact, as Hegseth added, "We expected there would be some, some churn at the beginning, which happened."

As for the attacks, Hegseth and U.S. General Dan Caine have stated they are so far "all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations."

Additionally, the Joint Chiefs Chairman of the 82nd Airborne noted, "The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade."

However, what he added was, “What I'll say is it's low harassing fire right now. It feels like Iran is grasping at straws."

Despite framing the attacks as "low-level" by the General, Hegseth insisted the U.S. forces have strongly responded to what he describes as "aggression", adding that "we said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have."

The press conference comes at a tense moment as pressure on the fragile ceasefire mounts; however, the truce for now is holding.