US can keep naval blockade on Iranian ports "indefinitely," Pentagon chief says

By Phil Stewart PANAMA CITY, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has enough assets to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, adding ships could be rotated in and out of the region as needed. Hegseth's comments suggest he is advising U.S. President Donald Trump

PANAMA CITY, Aug 13 - The U.S. military has enough assets to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, adding ships could be rotated in and out of the region as needed.

Hegseth says US can keep naval blockade on Iranian ports ‘indefinitely’ US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says that the US military can maintain a blockade on Iranian ports for as long as needed. “Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we ha

A US helicopter on Tuesday fired missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran’s ports, the United States military said. The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M/V Vela Nova “after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings fro

US military says it has fired on a ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports  AP News

There were no ​immediate reports of casualties from the incident

The US official told the WSJ that the ship's crew was transferred to another vessel after the attack, and all members were accounted for.

US fired on Panama-flagged ship that tried to break blockade of Iranian ports, WSJ reports citing US official  Reuters

The U.S. military said it blocked 20 more ships from reaching or leaving Iran's ports, as prospects for a resumption of negotiations appeared bleak.

Iran's politburo-like body known as the Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the U.S. “corrects its behavior.”

The Trump administration says a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is imminent, but it still has not been announced. CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand is at the White House with more.