Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the shaky U.S.-Iran ceasefire “certainly holds” for now even as clashes and attacks continued to test the truce, and President Trump signaled progress toward a negotiated agreement while weighing a pause in U.S. operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
Hegseth, briefing with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, described the ceasefire as intact despite recent incidents, including Iranian missile and drone strikes on the United Arab Emirates and attacks on commercial vessels. “Right now, the ceasefire certainly holds,” Hegseth said, while warning that U.S. forces remain “locked, loaded and ready to go” if Tehran fails to follow through on commitments. He said the military is postured to restart major combat operations if necessary.
Caine framed recent clashes as “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations,” noting Iran had attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times since the ceasefire was announced in April and had fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships. He outlined Project Freedom — a U.S. operation to facilitate safe passage for international commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — saying warships, aircraft and more than 15,000 service members were providing defensive overwatch for transits.
President Trump on Tuesday wrote that “Great Progress” had been made toward a “Complete and Final Agreement” with Iran and that, at the request of Pakistan and other countries, Project Freedom would be “paused for a short period of time” while negotiators try to finalize a deal. Trump said the broader U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place, and he emphasized he did not want to send U.S. troops into Iran. “We don’t want to go in and kill people,” he told reporters, adding that he hoped it would not come to that.
The pause noted by Trump sits alongside continued U.S. military activity: CENTCOM reported that 51 vessels had been directed to turn around or return to port under the blockade, and officials described a violent encounter earlier in the week when Iranian forces launched missiles, drones and small boats as commercial ships escorted by U.S. forces transited the strait. U.S. officials said several fast Iranian boats were destroyed in that clash; the Pentagon and the White House have stressed the U.S. response was defensive.
The maritime confrontations have caused damage and injuries. U.S. officials told CBS News a cargo ship near Dubai, the CGM San Antonio, was struck by a possible land-attack cruise missile and several Filipino crew members were injured. The UAE reported a missile and drone barrage that sparked a fire at an industrial complex in Fujairah and wounded workers. Other commercial vessels have reported projectiles, fires and small craft attacks in the Gulf region.
Shipping companies and navies have responded. Maersk said one of its ships, the Alliance Fairfax, transited the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort and completed the passage “without incident.” The U.S. described the lane as “clear” during escorted transits, while Iran has warned of “firm response” against ships that deviate from routes it declares safe. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has insisted only Iran-approved corridors are permissible and said ships leaving those corridors could be targeted.
Diplomacy continued in parallel with military moves. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Beijing and met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. Wang told Araghchi China was “deeply distressed” by the war and said a “comprehensive ceasefire” was urgently needed, urging commitment to dialogue and negotiation. Araghchi said Tehran would accept only a “fair and comprehensive agreement” and that talks — facilitated in part by Pakistan — were “making progress,” though he criticized Project Freedom as a military move that cannot resolve a political crisis.
The U.S. has also been pressing regional and international partners. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, briefing from the White House, described Project Freedom as defensive and said “there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.” Rubio announced Operation Epic Fury had concluded and that Project Freedom represented the current stage of U.S. efforts to protect shipping. He and other U.S. officials have urged allies to act to ensure freedom of navigation; Germany sent a minesweeper to the Mediterranean ready for a potential mission to help clear the Strait of Hormuz, and France and the U.K. have worked to build a coalition to keep the waterway open.
Washington is also pressing Baghdad. A senior U.S. State Department official said the United States wants “concrete actions” from Iraq’s new prime minister to distance state institutions from pro-Iran armed groups before resuming suspended financial shipments and security aid. The official said resuming full support would require expelling militias from state institutions, cutting off their budget support and denying salaries to militia fighters.
At the U.N., the United States and Gulf allies circulated a draft Security Council resolution threatening Iran with sanctions or other measures if it does not halt attacks on ships in the strait, stop imposing what the U.S. calls “illegal tolls” and disclose mine locations to restore freedom of navigation. The draft also demands Iran participate in U.N. efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor for essential goods.
Iranian officials have struck a defiant tone. An IRGC deputy commander predicted the U.S. “will ultimately be defeated” if tensions escalate further, and Iran’s foreign ministry has denied hostility toward Gulf Arab states while criticizing reliance on “imported security” and accusing the U.S. of being the main source of regional insecurity. Tehran continues to portray its actions as defensive and to warn that closing or controlling the strait is a response to U.S. and allied pressure.
Regional governments have urged restraint. Saudi Arabia called for “de-escalation, restraint” and diplomacy, and Arab interior ministers condemned renewed Iranian strikes on the UAE. Lebanon’s president urged the national army to assume sole security authority in southern Lebanon to reduce Hezbollah’s influence, reflecting broader regional anxieties.
On the ground, U.S. officials said Project Freedom has coordinated with hundreds of commercial vessels seeking to exit a Persian Gulf they say are trapped by Iran’s measures. Pentagon leaders insisted U.S. forces are ready to defend shipping and personnel while giving diplomacy a chance. Hegseth said the president “retains the opportunity and the capabilities” to restart major combat operations if negotiations fail, while expressing hope that confrontation can be avoided.
As Trump prepares to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week, he said Iran will be on the agenda and urged China — a major buyer of Iranian oil — to use its influence. The diplomatic and military maneuvers underscore a precarious balance: efforts to negotiate a final agreement are underway even as naval escorts, hostile exchanges and regional attacks continue to threaten the fragile ceasefire.