Hegseth: “The ceasefire is not over”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the U.S. ceasefire with Iran was not over despite both sides trading fire at the start of Project Freedom, an operation intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“No, the ceasefire is not over,” he told reporters. “Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project, and we expected there would be some, some churn at the beginning, which happened, and we said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have.”

On Monday, Iran launched missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect in early April. They also fired upon U.S. military vessels, with the U.S. in kind sinking six Iranian speedboats.

“It’s low harassing fire right now,” added Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine. “It feels like Iran is grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank … Their command-and-control structure remains very fractured, and I think they’re struggling to maintain control.”

The Pentagon leaders were also asked about rumors that Iran was deploying “kamikaze” dolphins that are armed with explosives to block the strait.

“I haven’t heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It’s like sharks with laser beams, right?” Gen. Caine said, referring to “Austin Powers.”

“I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins,” Secretary Hegseth added. “But I can confirm they don’t.”

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