Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that Project Freedom, President Donald Trump‘s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, is a defensive operation.
The United States destroyed nine Iranian vessels on Monday after those ships opened fire on commercial vessels traveling through the strait. U.S. officials, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, have remained adamant that the ceasefire with Iran remains in place, despite the attacks.
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Rubio fielded questions from reporters at the White House on Tuesday, the first fill-in briefing while press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave, where he reiterated that position.
“This is a defensive operation. And what that means is very simple: There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” he stated at the top of his remarks. “If you hear stories about attacks and launching or firing back and forth, it’s not back and forth. We are only responding if attacked first. This is a defensive operation, and that’s what’s occurring here.”
Rubio added that “the Iranian regime cannot be allowed to dictate who uses this vital waterway.”
“This is an international waterway, and international law is very clear,” he continued. “No country can control them. There is no international law that allows you to say, ‘I’m going to put mines in an international body of water and I’m going to blow up ships that don’t listen to us and try to go through.’ That’s what Iran is doing. This is a criminal act, and someone needs to do something about it.”
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You can watch Rubio’s comments in full below.
