US can maintain Iran port blockade “Indefinitely”, Hegseth says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the American military has the resources to sustain a naval blockade of Iranian ports for as long as necessary, adding that their Navy has the ability to rotate vessels in and out of the region.

“Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters.

He spoke in Panama after addressing the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley, which had previously deployed to the Middle East.

His comments come as negotiations to end the conflict that began with US-‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran on February 28 remain stalled.

The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping and ports after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

Washington has said the measure targets Iranian traffic while protecting freedom of navigation for vessels heading to or from non-Iranian ports.

President Donald Trump claimed US dominance over the waterway a day earlier.

“The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it,” he posted on Truth Social.

Since the blockade began, US forces have redirected more than 55 commercial vessels attempting to run it, disabling three ships and boarding two, according to reports.

Hegseth also addressed concerns about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the region for an extended period in support of operations against Iran.

Reports of shortages, water issues, mental health strains, and limited port calls have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and families of sailors.

“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas, in those austere conditions, with less port calls – it’s incredible,” Hegseth said, dismissing the accounts as “completely misrepresented.”

The prolonged deployment of the Lincoln, now stretching well beyond its original schedule with more than 200 days without a port call, has prompted questions from Democratic senators about operational extensions and crew welfare.

US officials maintain that sailors receive necessary support amid the demands of heightened readiness against Iranian threats.