Watch Live: Hegseth, Caine give Iran war update after US-Iran trade fire in Strait of Hormuz
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. The war in Iran you face a difficult test. US Navy destroyers on Monday intercepted a range of Iranian missilesattack drones and small boats as they help two commercial ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from international waterways,” Hegseth said at a press conference.
Hegseth noted that Project Freedom, the US targeting of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, is “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.” He called the project a “temporary solution” for the US, saying “the world needs this waterway more than we do.”
Caine said the task force has 15,000 American members. The mission includes guided missile destroyers and other warships that detect and defeat Iranian threats, Caine said. Among the ships are 100 attack aircraft and other unmanned aerial vehicles, which Caine said are being assembled by the 82nd Airborne Division.
Iran’s foreign minister said Monday’s violence showed “there is no military solution” to the war, warning that the US and its regional allies should be “wary of being pushed back into chaos by people who don’t want it.”
Two US Navy destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, evading a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles, defense officials said. he told CBS News. US Central Command said two American-flagged commercial ships also sailed through the river as part of “Project Freedom,” President Trump’s initiative to move ships through the waters.
US Central Command said Monday The US destroyed six Iranian boats who had tried to interfere with the commercial ships that the Navy directed to the port, and Mr. Trump later said it was seven ships.
Iran’s IRNA news agency denied that, saying that none of its so-called “speed” boats were destroyed on Monday.
Mr. Trump told Fox News on Monday that Iran would be “blasted off the face of the earth” if the country interfered in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst.
Iran, on the other hand, has he warned that US forces will be attacked if they enter the street. Iran has sought control of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil and has been largely closed since the war began in late February.
Iran also fired target in the United Arab Emirates and a a tanker belonging to the Abu Dhabi energy company on Monday, the US ally said.
The back-and-forth could be a test of fragile US-Iranian diplomacy, extended by Mr. Trump permanently last month while the two sides negotiated a long-term deal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that talks between the two countries are “advancing.” But he warned the US and the United Arab Emirates “should be wary of being pushed back into the mess by the naysayers.”
Mr. Trump, for his part, said over the weekend that Iran’s latest peace proposal probably won’t be accepted because “they haven’t paid a big enough price.”
How to watch the Pentagon’s war on Iran update
- What: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine held a press conference
- Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
- Time: 8am ET
- Location: Washington, DC
- Online streaming: Live on CBS News 24/7
