Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine are holding a news conference Tuesday as the ceasefire in the Iran war faces serious tests. U.S. Navy destroyers on Monday fended off a sustained barrage of Iranian missiles, attack drones and small boats while escorting two commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's foreign minister said Monday's violence showed "there's no military solution" to the war, warning the U.S. and its regional partners should be "wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers."
U.S. Central Command reported destroying six Iranian fast boats that attempted to interfere with the commercial vessels. President Trump later said the number was seven. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency rejected the claim, saying none of its boats were destroyed.
President Trump told Fox News on Monday that Iran will be "blown off the face of the Earth" if it interferes in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that normally carries 20% of the world's oil and has been largely closed since the war began in late February.
The back-and-forth poses a test to the fragile ceasefire, which Trump extended indefinitely last month while the two sides negotiate a longer-term deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks are "making progress" but warned the U.S. and United Arab Emirates against being "dragged back into quagmire."