https://motube.smithandtech.com/videos/watch/ded23582-6870-4347-97b8-831a6061cf14 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said Project Freedom — the American-led operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — was “separate and distinct” from the broader war against Iran.   “Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,” he said at a press briefing.   “We’re not looking for a fight, but Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway. Iran is the clear aggressor.”   The secretary disputed Iran’s claim that it controls the strait, noting that two U.S. commercial vessels had moved through the waterway under escort from U.S. Navy destroyers, “showing the lane is clear.”   “We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact,” he said. “They said they controlled the strait. They do not.”   #petehegseth #projectfreedom #straitofhormuz #cspan Wed, 06 May 2026 17:59:06 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://motube.smithandtech.com https://motube.smithandtech.com/lazy-static/avatars/933c9118-81c8-4e69-a82c-512c3a13a060.jpg https://motube.smithandtech.com/videos/watch/ded23582-6870-4347-97b8-831a6061cf14 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://motube.smithandtech.com/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.