Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hold a news briefing about Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Friday, April 24, 2026. Hegseth said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is growing and would continue for “as long as it takes.” (Department of Defense)
ARLINGTON, Va — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that a second aircraft carrier will soon join the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports as he urged Iran to make a deal that would end the war.
“Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal,” Hegseth said during a briefing at the Pentagon. “Iran has a historic chance to make a serious deal, and the ball is in their court.”
Hegseth said that the blockade that started April 13 is growing and would continue for “as long as it takes, whatever President Trump decides.” Iran has made lifting the blockade a condition of resuming talks to end the war.
It’s unclear when the U.S. and Iran will resume negotiations after President Donald Trump announced an extension of their ceasefire this week. The Strait of Hormuz has become central to the conflict, with Iran seizing several ships attempting to pass through as the U.S. Navy continues its blockade.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, where earlier U.S.-Iran negotiations took place, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press.
U.S. forces have stopped and boarded three tankers, the secretary said, as Operation Epic Fury reached its 55th day.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the blockade has forced 34 ships to turn around.
Trump on Tuesday extended the ceasefire in the war until talks between the U.S. and Iran have concluded.
The ceasefire has prevented a return to full-scale hostilities, but it has also been marked by conflicting public statements and accusations of violations, as both sides continue to clash over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the start of hostilities nearly two months ago.
Restoring commercial traffic in the strait is a top priority for the U.S. and international community, which has seen a surge in fuel prices since Iran imposed shipping restrictions on the critical trade corridor.
Hegseth on Friday urged American allies to take a larger role in securing the strait.
“We are not counting on Europe. But they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking, having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat,” the secretary said. “This is much more their fight than ours.”
The blockade includes the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz, encompassing the entirety of the Iranian coast. It isn’t limited to ports and oil terminals, CENTCOM said in a notice to mariners last week.
In a post Thursday to Truth Social, President Donald Trump said he has ordered the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill any boat” that is putting mines in the waters of the strait.
“Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” Trump said.
The Washington Post on Wednesday reported that the Pentagon has informed Congress that it could take up to six months for the U.S. military to fully clear the strait of mines laid by Iran. And any such operation, the report said, is unlikely to be carried out until the war ends.
Hegseth said he would not speculate on a timeline and called the report “another leak from a closed-door session.”
For the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers — the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H.W. Bush — are operating in the Middle East at the same time, according to U.S. Central Command.
The increased presence in the region comes amid the departure of John Phelan as Secretary of the Navy on Wednesday.
Trump in a post on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon thanked Phelan for his service, but told reporters in the Oval Office that Phelan left his position because of “conflict” with Defense Department officials over shipbuilding.
Trump said the conflicts weren’t with Hegseth, but didn’t provide other names.
“I really liked him, but he had some conflict with, not necessarily Pete, with some other(s),” Trump said. “He’s a hard-charger. And he had some conflicts with some other people, mostly as to, building and buying new ships.”
