Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that a fragile ceasefire held despite Iran firing missiles and drones at US forces escorting stranded commercial ships|Blondinrikard Froberg|CC BY 2.0
The Trump administration delivered sharply changing messages this week about the Iran conflict, creating confusion over whether the US is pursuing peace or preparing for more attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said a fragile ceasefire remained in place even after Iran fired missiles and drones at US forces escorting stranded commercial ships.
Hours later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that “Operation Epic Fury,” the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, had ended successfully. He said President Donald Trump preferred diplomacy and wanted Iran to reopen the vital shipping lane.
But by Tuesday evening, Trump paused the naval escort mission and then warned on Wednesday that bombing would resume at a much higher level if Tehran rejected US terms.
Rising fuel prices and fears of supply disruptions are increasing political pressure on Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.