U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon on May 5, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that a fragile cease-fire with Iran remains in effect, a day after Iran attacked U.S. troops and a commercial vessel it was protecting in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The ceasefire is not over yet,” Hegseth told reporters at a press conference at the Pentagon.
Iran’s invasion came in response to the U.S. launch of Project Freedom, an effort to escort merchant ships out of the Persian Gulf, where many people have been stranded since the war began on February 28.
Hegseth said the operation, announced by President Donald Trump Sunday night, is distinct from the broader conflict centered on confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“At the end of the day, this is a separate and distinct project,” he said. “And we initially expected there to be some disruption, and that’s exactly what happened. And we said we would continue to defend aggressively, and that’s definitely the case.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain said that since the ceasefire was announced on April 7, Iran has fired nine times at commercial ships, seized two container ships and attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times.
But these numbers are “all below the threshold for resuming large-scale combat operations at this time,” he said.
This is developing news. Please check back for the latest information.
