Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, said Friday that the US military should win the Nobel Peace Prize every year for protecting the globe from sponsors of terror like the Islamic Republic. The US military is the guarantor of safety and security not just for the US, but for many people around the world, Hegseth told reporters during a press briefing at the Pentagon.
The US military is expanding its naval blockade in the Persian Gulf and will now seek out Iran's fleet of illicit tankers as they traverse international waterways. A second US aircraft carrier is on its way to the region and will join the blockade in a few days, Hegseth said. The blockade is part of US efforts to disrupt Iran's multibillion-dollar oil trade.
US Blockade Expands
The US has already seized two Iranian vessels in the Indian Ocean and will take action against other ships attempting to deliver crude oil to China and other countries. Tehran has responded to the blockade by abducting two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and firing on a third. Hegseth said that Iran's actions are those of a desperate and weakened regime.
President Donald Trump has authorized the Navy to take action against any Iranian attack boats that attempt to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz or disrupt passage for authorized commercial vessels. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been reduced to a gang of pirates with a flag, Hegseth added.