US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested on Sunday that Washington has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, successfully guiding millions of barrels of oil through the strategic waterway despite regional tensions, Anadolu reports. “Project Freedom never stopped, and we have run 125 million barrels of oil through the straits, and Iran could not do anything about it,” Hegseth told CBS News. He claimed that not a single Iranian vessel managed to transit the American blockade, asserting that US President Donald Trump’s administration holds “absolute leverage” in ongoing diplomatic negotiations from a position of strength. READ: Iran threatens to halt US negotiations if Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon The defense chief warned that the US military posture will remain active to […]
This article was sourced from Middle East Monitor.
Read Full Article on Middle East Monitor →![U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. [Kyle Mazza - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AA-20260406-41034158-41034156-PRESIDENT_TRUMP_HOLDS_NEWS_CONFERENCE_WITH_MILITARY_OFFICIALS_ON_MISSION_TO_RESCUE_AIRMAN_IN_IRAN.jpg)
