U.S. War Department Minister Pete Hegseth signaled he would push hard for a maritime blockade against Iran. He also pressed allies to take a more active role in maintaining the blockade.
Minister Hegseth said at a battlefield update on the 24th (local time) at the Pentagon in the Washington, D.C., area, "This fight is not something the United States must shoulder alone," adding, "Europe and Asia have enjoyed our protection for decades, but the era of free riding is over."
He added, "The United States and the free world deserve allies who are capable and loyal and who understand that alliances are not one-way but two-way."
This is interpreted as a repeated call for allies to dispatch forces, including warships to protect tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and to maintain the maritime blockade against Iran.
He also stressed that the blockade is widening. "The blockade is expanding and extending around the world," he said, adding, "Because of these blockade measures, time is not on Iran's side." In particular, he said that since the blockade measures, 34 ships that are Iranian or travel to and from Iranian ports have turned back.
He also underscored U.S. President Donald Trump's order to sink ships. Minister Hegseth, referring to Trump's order to sink vessels laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, said the United States would "act without hesitation, like with drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean."
He issued a message of pressure toward Iran as well. "Iran knows the opportunity remains open to make a wise choice at the negotiating table," he said, adding, "What they must do is abandon nuclear weapons in a meaningful and verifiable way."