WATCH LIVE: Hegseth and Caine give update from Pentagon as US blockades Iran

Published April 16, 2026 7:02am ET | Updated April 16, 2026 7:59am ET



War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will give an update from the Pentagon on Thursday at 8 a.m. as U.S. forces blockade ships headed to and from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz

TRUMP IS CONTENT WITH LEAVING NAVAL BLOCKADE IN PLACE UNTIL IRAN SHOWS IT’S SERIOUS ABOUT A DEAL: WHITE HOUSE

President Donald Trump has said the blockade will remain in place until Iran shows “they are serious about making a deal,” the Washington Examiner previously reported. The move followed failed peace talks with Iran, which had agreed to a two-week ceasefire, one that the U.S. has reportedly upheld.

Additionally, U.S. forces have continued military operations targeting “narco-terrorists” as part of Operation Southern Spear, with strikes earlier this week on suspected drug-trafficking boats leaving six suspected narco-traffickers dead.