Situation in Hormuz
Published: 01:04 AM, 06 May 2026
US expects other nations to take responsibility
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the central issue in the Middle East crisis. -Getty
The US operation in the Strait of Hormuz is a temporary mission and Washington expects other countries to take responsibility for ensuring safe navigation in the area "at the appropriate time," US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.
"This is a temporary mission for us. As I've said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We're stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up at the appropriate time, and soon we will hand responsibility," he told a briefing.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump earlier referred to NATO as a "paper tiger" and said that the United States did not need its help any longer.
PENTAGON CHIEF DENIES CLAIMS ISRAEL DRAGGED US LEADER INTO WAR WITH IRAN:
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has refuted suggestions that Israeli authorities have dragged US President Donald Trump into a war with Iran.
"Your question is based on the false premise that somehow President Trump is being pulled in by Prime Minister [of Israel Benjamin] Netanyahu to any of these actions, and that's where you're going," the Pentagon chief said, commenting on developments in the war with Iran.
According to him, ultimate decisions regarding US-Israeli operations rest with the White House. However, he acknowledged that Israel's objectives sometimes differ from those of the United States.
"Just to be clear: President Trump has led at every step of this [operation] based on his view of American interest in America first. And we're grateful that Israelis have been very capable partners at many steps of this [operation], and they may have some objectives at times that are slightly different than ours. But there's only one hand on the wheel ultimately directing this, whether it's Project Freedom, or previously Operation Epic Fury, and it's President Trump," Hegseth stated.
Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, wrote in a recent column that the US leader has lost confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu, believing that he misled him about Iran. According to Hersh, the US president now believes that Netanyahu misrepresented the chances of success of the US-Israeli military operation against Iran, aimed at bringing about a fundamental change of power in the Islamic Republic.
