Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz would be temporary and other nations would soon have to take responsibility, emphasizing Tuesday that the fragile ceasefire with Iran remained in place despite attacks on U.S. ships a day earlier.
Speaking at a briefing alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth said the United States had established a powerful “red, white and blue dome” over the strait as a “direct gift” to other nations to allow commercial ships to pass through.
“This operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury,” he said, using the Trump administration’s name for the war with Iran.
"And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't." Pete Hegseth
"Kamikaze dolphins. It's like sharks with laser beams. Right." General Kaine
What a time to be alive! pic.twitter.com/YEyE0rNakS
— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) May 5, 2026
