US Achieved Goals but Is Ready to Resume Operations If Iran Rejects Peace: Pentagon

The U.S. military will remain in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that Tehran complies with the cease-fire, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth holds a news briefing in the Pentagon Press briefing room in Arlington, Va., on April 8, 2026. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The Pentagon on April 8 stated that the U.S. military has accomplished its objectives in Iran but is ready to “resume combat operations” if needed.

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week cease-fire that Iran’s military capabilities have been decimated, with its missile program being “functionally destroyed.”