Hegseth also claimed the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is ‘separate and distinct’ from the war the US and Israel launched against Iran on February 28
May 5, 2026
The US military’s top general said on Tuesday that Iran’s recent attacks in the region were “below the threshold” of the US restarting its bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic, as the US continues to downplay the flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz that occurred a day earlier.
“Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships. They’ve attacked US forces more than 10 times. All below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at a press briefing at the Pentagon.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also said at the briefing that the ceasefire is “not over” and claimed that the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is “separate and distinct” from the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran on February 28, likely an effort to obscure the status of the conflict, which was launched without congressional authorization, a violation of the US Constitution.
The incidents on Monday included Iran firing warning shots at US warships, an attack on a South Korean oil tanker, and the US firing on Iranian boats. The US claimed it destroyed six “attack boats” while Iran said the attack actually hit two cargo boats and killed five civilians.
The UAE has also come under drone and missile attacks, including strikes that hit oil facilities in its port of Fujairah. Iranian media and officials hinted that Iran was responsible for the attacks, but the Iranian military claimed on Tuesday that it was not behind the strikes.
While so far the US has downplayed the incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, the US and Israel could restart the bombing campaign in Iran at any moment. A US source speaking to Axios this week suggested that the purpose of the new military operation in the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed “Project Freedom,” could be designed to create a pretext to restart full-scale war.
The source said that the “humanitarian” mission means “if the Iranians do something, they will be the bad guys and we will have the legitimacy to act.”
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