Truce in place despite tensions in the Persian Gulf, with the US saying it is not seeking military conflictwith Iran in the context of the crisis.
Despite the tense climate in the wider Persian Gulf and the ongoing tensions around the Sea of Hormuz, Washington is trying to tone down, insisting that the status of the ceasefire with Iran still is in place and has not officially collapsed. In this context, American officials are sending a message of de-escalation, stressing that there is no intention of direct military conflict, despite localized hostilities and incidents in maritime space.
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday (05/05) that the ceasefire with Iran was not over, despite the two countries exchanging fire in the Gulf as they fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The situation in the Straits
Hegseth said the US had successfully secured a route through the critical waterway and that hundreds of merchant ships were lining up to pass through as Washington seeks to break the stranglehold Iran has imposed on the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began on February 28.
“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this event. They said they control the Straits. They don’t control them,” the U.S. defense secretary said at a Pentagon press conference.
“Operation Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with a mission, protecting innocent merchant ships from Iranian aggression. U.S. forces need not enter Iranian territorial waters or [Iranian] airspace. It is not necessary. We are not seeking a conflict,” Hegseth added.
The U.S. military said it sank six Iranian small vessels and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones after President Donald Trump sent the Navy to escort the blockaded tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in a campaign he called “Project Freedom.”
The US cause
Several commercial ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, home to a major US military base, was fired upon by Iranian missiles.
General Dan Kaine, the U.S. chief of staff, said that since the cease-fire was announced on April 7, Iran has fired on commercial ships nine times and seized two container ships. He added that Iran has attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times.
However, he noted, the attacks have fallen “below the threshold of reopening significant combat operations at this point.”
Asked if the cease-fire with Iran is still in effect, Hegseth said: “The ceasefire is not over.”
“We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we certainly have. Iran knows that, and ultimately, the president can make a decision on whether something escalates into a ‘violation of the cease-fire,'” he said.
Operation Freedom is Donald Trump’s latest attempt to force an end to the “disruption of international energy supplies caused by the blockade of the Strait by Iran, which carried a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG before the war.
The U.S. Navy also enforces a maritime blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from going to or leaving Iranian territory.
