Pentagon plays down Strait of Hormuz quagmire: ‘Don’t need to worry about it’

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The Hill's Headlines — March 13, 2026

The Hill's Headlines — March 13, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to play down the quagmire in the Strait of Hormuz that is pushing up global energy prices, telling reporters on Friday, “we have been dealing with it; don’t need to worry about it.”

Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine said the military was prioritizing efforts to counter Iran’s capabilities to mine the crucial corridor, which typically facilitates some 20 percent of the global oil trade. Hegseth said the U.S. was not aware of any mines being laid so far.

The Pentagon chief addressed the Strait of Hormuz in his opening remarks, saying Iran’s Navy has been destroyed.

“As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we’re dealing with. We have been dealing with it; don’t need to worry about it. We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before,” he said.

Hegseth lashed out at a report from CNN on Thursday that the administration had underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, and said the U.S. military was prepared for all scenarios.

“We understood the ability to interdict shipping is something Iran has done for years. It’s key terrain. They’ve used it as leverage. The world is seeing what they’ll do to fight back in that context. And so we’ve heard talk about taking various measures, and we’re planning for all of them. So we have a plan for every option here,” Hegseth said.

“We’re working with our interagency partners, and that’s not a strait we’re going to allow to remain contested or with a lack of flow of commercial goods.”

Thus far, the military has deemed it too risky to deploy naval escorts to defend commercial vessels passing through the Strait, despite requests from shipping companies.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday that he believed naval escorts would likely be deployed by the end of the month, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested an international coalition could soon provide security through the Strait.

Some military analysts have said the U.S. could struggle to secure the strait without sending in ground troops to occupy the Iranian coastline, in what would be a major escalation of the war.

Both Hegseth and Caine said the U.S. had dealt major blows to Iran’s navy, which has been a focus of Operation Epic Fury and would help deplete its ability to project power in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’ve made progress, but Iran still has the capability to harm friendly forces and commercial shipping, and our work on this effort continues,” Caine said, pointing to potential threats from both missiles and mines.

At least 16 ships have been hit near the Strait, which is about 21 miles wide, during the war. Both naval drones and unmanned ships laden with explosives have reportedly been used in the attacks.

The resulting fear has largely halted shipping through the Strait, though Iran has continued to allow tankers carrying its own oil to pass through, maintaining a key revenue source for its wartime economy.

Gulf states have scrambled to find alternate shipping routes for their oil supplies, while the U.S. and other major oil producers have committed to releasing hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in an effort to ease rising prices.

The price of benchmark crude dipped below $100 per barrel on Friday morning, but risks rising further if there aren’t signs of progress in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has taunted the U.S. warning that global oil prices could top $200 a barrel.

In his first public statement since taking power, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khameini, said the corridor must remain closed as long as the war continues.

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