US-Iran ceasefire holds despite Hormuz standoff: Pentagon chief Hegseth

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is still in place despite bursts of military action around the Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth tells reporters. Hegseth said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will make the decision as to when the truce ends, signalling that Washington may be willing to tolerate some Iranian attacks during the push to reopen Hormuz before renewing the war. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list The defence secretary stressed that Washington’s campaign to pry open the strategic waterway – dubbed “Project Freedom” – is not part of the broader US-Israeli assault on Iran – codenamed Epic Fury. “The ceasefire is not over. Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project, and we expected there would be some churn at the beginning, which happened,” Hegseth told reporters. “We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows that, and ultimately the president is going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of the ceasefire.” Monday saw the highest level of hostilities in the war since the truce came into effect on April 8. Iran said it fired at US Navy ships; the US said it shot down seven small Iranian military boats; and Tehran renewed its drone and missile launches against the United Arab Emirates. A South Korean ship near Hormuz was also hit in a suspected Iranian attack. And there were casualties. …