- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has lashed out at European nations again, demanding they take action to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
- The US has repeatedly expressed strong disapproval of its NATO allies for not assisting in its military efforts in Iran and for failing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
- “We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat,” he said at a Friday news conference.
- Hegseth went on to call the war President Donald Trump’s “gift to the world” and accused European and Asian countries of being ungrateful, stating, “Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free riding is over.”
- Washington has implemented a blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, stating it will only be lifted if Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to a peace deal on US terms.
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