U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a briefing on the Iran war, amid a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 24, 2026. REUTERS\/Kevin Lamarque<\/p>\n
Pentagon\u00a0Chief Hegseth Says US Blockade on Iran \u2018Going Global\u2019<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that a U.S.\u00a0blockade on Iran\u00a0is going global, adding Tehran had a chance to make a \u201cgood deal\u201d with Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur blockade is growing and going global,\u201d Hegseth told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one sails from the<\/p>\n
to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Peace talks\u00a0between Iran and the United States could resume soon in Pakistan, three Pakistani sources told Reuters on Friday, after the last round of talks expected earlier this week fell through.<\/p>\n
Standing next to top U.S. General Dan Caine, Hegseth said the U.S. was \u201cnot anxious\u201d for a deal with Iran, and repeated Trump\u2019s previous comments of having \u201call the time in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely \u2026 at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Caine said the U.S. Central Command continues to maintain a strict blockade on all ports in Iran.\u00a0Thirty-four ships had been turned around as of Friday morning, he said.\u00a0The U.S. military would continue to interdict Iranian vessels in the Pacific and Indian oceans, Caine added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory,\u201d Caine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ordered and \u2026 we\u2019re prepared and postured to intercept them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. naval blockade on Iran began on April 13.<\/p>\n
Hegseth also warned that any attempts by Iran to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz would be a violation of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransit (of the Strait of Hormuz) is occurring, much more limited than anybody would like to see and with more risk than people would like to see, but that\u2019s because Iran is doing irresponsible things with small, fast boats \u2026 with weapons on them,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n