'Iran is the clear aggressor': Hegseth warns of 'overwhelming firepower' as US launches Project Freedom in Strait of Hormuz

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said Iran has been harassing ships in the Strait of Hormuz "for too long" and warned that Tehran would face "overwhelming firepower" if it attacks commercial shipping, as Washington launched Operation Project Freedom to restore transit through the critical waterway.

"Iran is the clear aggressor," Hegseth said, adding that the US aims to protect shipping from Iranian aggression. He was categorical that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz and that the US would not need to enter Iranian airspace or waters as part of the operation to open it. "We're not looking for a fight," he said.

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Hegseth confirmed that Operation Project Freedom is separate from the broader Operation Epic Fury and is intended to be temporary. He said the US blockade on Iranian ports remains fully in effect, with CENTCOM and partner nations in active communication with hundreds of ships, shipping companies, and insurers. "Hundreds more ships are lining up to transit the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine said Iran's attacks have so far remained "below the threshold of restarting major combat operations," adding that the situation currently involves "low level kinetics."

However, he warned that the joint force remains ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so, and that the threshold for restarting combat is ultimately a political decision. Caine said 22,500 mariners are currently trapped in the Gulf and unable to transit, and assured that commercial vessels would "feel US combat power around them, on sea, in the skies."

Hegseth, meanwhile, urged Tehran to exercise caution. "We would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions they take," he said, adding that the ceasefire is not over.

He also added, "Hegseth on Tuesday said there is now a lane of safe passage that commercial shipping can flow through," while ruling out any broader entanglement. "We will not entangle the Iran war into some nation-building project." He also said the US hopes South Korea steps up to join the mission, adding that Washington is in contact with a South Korean ship that was hit by Iran.

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The US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran on February 28, 2026, codenamed Operation Epic Fury, targeting military installations, nuclear enrichment facilities, and key officials. Iran retaliated almost immediately, extending the war's geographic footprint across the region within 48 hours.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026, using a combination of warnings, mine-laying, ship seizures, and IRGC Navy swarm boat activity. By mid-March, over 10 million barrels per day had been removed from global markets, with Brent crude surging past $120 per barrel, the largest supply disruption in oil market history, according to the IEA.