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Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 2:09 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said at a news conference on Thursday that U.S. forces stand at the ready if any ships do not comply with the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz despite the two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran. "If you do not comply with the blockade, we will use force," Caine said. Hegseth said that the U.S. will maintain the "successful blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz. Hegseth said the U.S. military can "make the transition" from this blockade to "major combat operations." "We can make that transition again very quickly and even more powerfully than ever," Hegseth said. "At the direction of President Trump, the War Department will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, never. We prefer to do it the nice way through a deal led by our great vice president and negotiating team, or we can do it the hard way." Caine said the blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports. Caine said that so far, 13 ships made the "wise choice of turning around" amid the blockade. He said that so far, the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, have not had to board any particular ships. About two hours after the briefing, CENTCOM said on social media that 14 ships had turned around in the first 72 hours of the blockade. The U.S. began enforcing its naval blockade on Iranian ports on Monday as Iran has sought to maintain its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and limit transits of the waterway, which normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil. The blockade is being enforced in the Gulf of Oman, immediately outside the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told CBS News. In response, Iranian officials have publicly threatened to sink American ships and close a second major waterway, the Red Sea. Meanwhile, transits of the Strait of Hormuz have remained well below pre-war levels since the ceasefire began.
Thursday's news conference comes just over eight days into the ceasefire, which jumpstarted negotiations to end the war. Iranian and U.S. negotiators did not strike a deal after talks in Pakistan last weekend, with major disagreements still lingering over Iran's nuclear program, but Mr. Trump has said there could be another round of talks in the next few days.Hegseth continually pushed Iran to "choose wisely" to make a deal, saying "in the meantime, the War Department is locked and loaded." Caine also emphasized this point, saying the U.S. joint forces "remains postured and ready to resume major combat operations at literally a moment's notice." Mr. Trump posted on social media on Wednesday that Israel and Lebanon will speak as Israel has continued to hit Hezbollah targets. Both the U.S. and Israel have insisted that Lebanon is not part of the tenuous ceasefire that began on April 8.
"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and