By Chris Summers

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 5 that the ceasefire with Iran remains in force despite events in the Persian Gulf in recent days.

At a Pentagon briefing, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said a series of Iranian attacks were below the threshold of “major combat operations.”

“Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they’ve attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” Caine said.

“The ceasefire is not over,” Hegseth said, supporting Caine’s earlier statements.

But Hegseth warned that if Iran tried to interfere with Project Freedom, the U.S. military’s operation to keep open the Strait of Hormuz, they would suffer the consequences.

“If you attack American troops or innocent commercial shipping, you will face overwhelming and devastating American firepower,” Hegseth warned the Iranian regime.

“We prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft,” he added.

He told reporters at the briefing that the “iron-clad blockade” of Iranian ports is still in place and said six ships that tried to run the blockade had been turned around.

Hegseth said the United States was not “looking for a fight,” saying the Iranian regime was “the clear aggressor.”

Hegseth said that Project Freedom is different from Operation Epic Fury—the joint U.S.–Israeli military operation in Iran that began on Feb. 28—and is “focused in scope.”

“For too long, Iran has been harassing ships, shooting at civilian tankers from all nations, and trying to impose a tolling system,” Hegseth said. “Iran’s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable. That ends with Project Freedom.”

Hegseth said two U.S. commercial ships had already safely transited the strait, escorted by American destroyers, saying this shows the shipping lanes are clear.

“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact,” Hegseth said. “They said they control the strait. They do not.”

“American ships lead the way, commercial and military, shouldering initial risk from the front, as Americans always do,” he said.

Hegseth said the U.S. Central Command is in communication with hundreds of ships, their owners, and insurers, which want to get out of the “Iranian trap” in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

About 23.2 million barrels of oil per day, roughly 29 percent of global maritime oil flows, passed through the strait in the first half of 2025, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data from March 3.

Oil prices held well above $100 a barrel on May 5, as the tensions between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz kept investors on edge and raised fresh concerns about prolonged energy supply disruptions.

In a post on X on May 4, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “Events in Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis.”

“As talks are making progress with Pakistan’s gracious effort, the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers,” he added.

“Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” Araghchi wrote.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defense Ministry said 15 Iranian missiles and four drones had been fired at its territory by Iran on May 4, and the authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said one drone caused a fire at an oil depot, injuring three Indian nationals.

Iranian strikes against the UAE resumed on May 5, officials in Abu Dhabi said in a post on X.“The UAE’s air defenses are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran,” UAE defense officials said. “The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the UAE’s air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.”

A number of world leaders have condemned the attacks on the UAE.

In a post on X, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Targeting civilians and infrastructure is unacceptable.”

“Ensuring safe and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is vital for enduring regional peace, stability and global energy security,” Modi added.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to X to express solidarity with the UAE amid Iranian strikes.

“Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the Government of the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time,” he wrote. “It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region.”

Pakistan has been a key mediator between the United States and Iran in ongoing peace talks, which have not yet reached a permanent agreement.