Hegseth says Strait of Hormuz blockade will last 'as long as it takes'

by · UPI

April 24 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a press briefing Friday that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has gone global after seizing two vessels in the Indo-Pacific region this week.

Hegseth said 34 ships have been turned away by the blockade and emphasized that the U.S. Navy will pursue ships beyond the Strait of Hormuz if they use Iranian ports. He announced that a second U.S. aircraft carrier will join the blockade in the coming days.

"Just this week we seized two Iranian dark ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect," Hegseth said. "They thought they made it out just in time. They did not. We seized their sanctioned ships and we will seize more. A blockade as long as it takes. Whatever President [Donald] Trump decides."

The defense secretary downplayed Iran's seizure of two vessels earlier this week, noting that those ships were not U.S. or Israeli ships.

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"Anyone with a speedboat, a gun and the wrong intentions can do that," he said.

Hegseth renewed the call for Asian and European nations to become involved in the Iran war due to the role the Strait of Hormuz plays in their oil trades.

"Europe and Asia have benefitted from our protection for decades. The time for free riding is over," Hegseth said. "America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal and who understand being an ally is not a one-way street. This is much more their fight than ours."

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