US Hegseth: Iran war is Trump’s gift to the world
Shafaq News- Washington
European and Asian countries were not sufficiently grateful for the US-led war against Iran, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Friday, describing the war as a gift to the world from US President Donald Trump.
Speaking during a press conference at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Dan Caine, attended by Shafaq News correspondent, he said Europe and Asia have benefited from the US protection for decades, “but the time for free riding is over.” He added that “America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal, and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street. It's a two-way street.”
Hegseth reaffirmed that the US's ongoing war goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “It's a bold and dangerous mission ... courtesy of a bold and historic president.”
The war secretary claimed the “ironclad blockade” on Iranian ports imposed by US naval forces would be “going global” and “tightening by the hour” with “no one” passing through the Strait of Hormuz to “anywhere in the world” absent US permission, accusing Iranian forces of “acting like pirates and terrorists” by attempting to enforce their own blockade of the waterway against “random ships.” Hegseth declared a “new phase” in the war, where Iran has an “important choice” to make a deal with the United States.
Meanwhile, General Dan Caine stated that the US military remains ready to resume major combat operations upon orders from Trump.
He said that the crews of all three Iranian merchant vessels seized by the US military over the past week are still in US custody, vowing to continue conducting similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of “the Dark Fleet.”
