Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday did not pin down the timeline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the American blockade there.
During an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Hegseth stated that the waterway would reopen “immediately” upon the signing of a newly announced memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. But he clarified the remarks just moments later with a timeline that was less definitive about the blockade on Iran.
“So ultimately the blockade will stay as the strait opens,” Hegseth said. “And then the blockade will open and then the straits open. And if that takes 30 days to fully mature, or two weeks to fully mature, but it will start immediately, as the president has said.”
The Strait of Hormuz has been a critical point of contention between the U.S. and Iran throughout negotiations. Iran began blocking ships from entering or leaving the waterway shortly after the war started in February, including through the use of sea mines. In effect, oil prices rose sharply. After the U.S. and Tehran were unable to agree to a permanent ceasefire that saw the strait reopen, President Donald Trump in April ordered the U.S. Navy to “begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump has maintained that there will be no peace deal without Iran fully reopening the strait, though he has also said the U.S. has control of the waterway.
The president on Saturday announced the pending memorandum of understanding in a post to social media. While he provided little detail on the negotiations, he stated the strait will reopen “immediately after it is signed.”
But Iranian officials have yet to confirm their stance on the deal, and questions began swirling around the future of the agreement after Israel said its military attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut on Sunday.
However, Hegseth assured CBS that “we are on track” for the signing to take place Sunday — and Trump himself condemned the strikes.
“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social. Trump added that Israel has “the right to defend itself against threats,” but insisted the threat was “very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed.”
He urged parties not to let the strikes “disrupt this important process.”
“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,” Trump said. “There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!”