Hegseth says ‘the ceasefire is not over’ after U.S., Iran exchange fire
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at a press conference at the Pentagon on May 5, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the fragile ceasefire with Iran was still in effect, a day after Tehran attacked U.S. forces and the merchant ships they were protecting in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The ceasefire is not over yet,” Hegseth told reporters at a press conference at the Pentagon.
Iran’s aggression came in response to the United States launching “Project Freedom,” an effort to escort merchant ships from the Persian Gulf where many people have been stranded since the war began on February 28.
Hegseth said there is a difference between this operation, which President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening, and the broader conflict focused on confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Ultimately, this is a separate, different project,” he said. “We expected there would be some disruption in the beginning, and there was. We said we would aggressively defend and defend it, and we certainly did.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said that since the ceasefire was declared on April 7, Iran has opened fire on commercial ships nine times, seized two container ships and attacked US forces more than 10 times.
But he said those numbers were “below the threshold for resuming major combat operations at this point.”
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
