War Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully pushed back against reports questioning the Trump administration’s preparation for Iran’s potential attempt to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, insisting the U.S. military has long planned for such threats.
Q: You have said the US military has aerial and naval superiority over Iran, yet we’re not escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz. How did you not plan for this?
HEGSETH: We planned for it. We recognize it. Um, because ultimately, we want to do it sequentially in a way… pic.twitter.com/XixoVI9x4f
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 13, 2026
The criticism emerged after some media outlets suggested the Donald Trump administration had underestimated the possibility that Iran could move to interfere with the strategically vital waterway following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign targeting Iranian naval forces, missile systems, and drone infrastructure.
Addressing the issue during a Pentagon briefing, Pete Hegseth dismissed the claims and said Iranian actions in the region were already being handled by U.S. forces. Iran has been “exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon press briefing. “We have been dealing with it, and don’t need to worry about it,” he said.
Professional Military Education should produce warfighters and leaders—not wokesters.
That’s why we are establishing a Task Force to evaluate our Senior Service Colleges and ensure the focus is where it belongs.
No distractions. Just warfighting. pic.twitter.com/zQhUA2bk9I
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) March 13, 2026
The War Secretary emphasized that the United States military has anticipated potential Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz for decades, calling it one of the most predictable pressure tactics used by Tehran.
“Of course, for decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage,” Pete Hegseth added, according to a CNBC report.
When asked by a reporter why the Pentagon had not prepared for the possibility of the strait being blocked to commercial traffic, Hegseth rejected the suggestion outright. “We planned for it. We recognize it,”Secretary Hegseth told the reporter.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most strategically critical maritime chokepoints in the world. Roughly 20 percent of the global oil supply passes through the narrow shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, making it a vital route for international energy markets.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait during periods of conflict with the United States and its allies. Military analysts have long warned that Tehran could attempt to disrupt shipping using several tactics, including naval mines, anti-ship missiles, fast attack boats, and armed drones.
One of the most frequently discussed threats involves the deployment of sea mines across key shipping lanes. Even a limited number of mines could force shipping traffic to halt temporarily while international naval forces conduct mine-clearing operations.
Iran has previously demonstrated its ability to lay mines in the region and has maintained a fleet of small, fast vessels capable of deploying them quickly in contested waters.
Another concern is the use of high-speed anti-ship missiles launched from coastal batteries or mobile platforms along Iran’s shoreline. These missiles are designed to target tankers or military vessels moving through the narrow strait at high speeds.
Iran has also invested heavily in drone technology in recent years, including armed unmanned aerial vehicles capable of striking ships or surveillance drones used to track vessel movements through the waterway.
U.S. military planners have long incorporated these potential tactics into operational scenarios, preparing naval and air forces to counter any attempt by Iran to disrupt maritime traffic.
Pete Hegseth stressed that Operation Epic Fury was designed in part to neutralize those threats by targeting Iranian naval forces and military infrastructure capable of launching such attacks. “Ultimately, we want to do it sequentially in the way that makes the most sense for what we want to achieve,” he said, without detailing specific plans.
The campaign has struck Iranian missile launch systems, drone production facilities, and naval assets believed capable of threatening commercial shipping and U.S. forces in the region.
According to military officials, degrading those capabilities reduces Iran’s ability to carry out any large-scale attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz. Pete Hegseth said the United States remains focused on maintaining open shipping lanes and protecting the global flow of energy supplies through the region.
The War Secretary also rejected suggestions that American forces were unprepared for Iran’s response to the strikes, arguing that Pentagon planners have spent decades developing strategies to counter precisely these kinds of threats.
As the conflict continues, U.S. naval and air forces remain heavily deployed in the region to monitor Iranian activity and ensure the security of one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
