\u2018We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde if necessary,\u2019 US defence chief says
\n Washington
\nUnited States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between the US and Iran was active, even as lawmakers pressed him on whether a formal written agreement existed between the two sides.
\nHegseth made the remarks alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Dan Caine during testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee reviewing the Trump administration\u2019s proposed 2027 defence budget, and discussing developments in the conflict with Iran.
\nThe sharpest exchange came when Representative Pete Aguilar questioned Hegseth about last month\u2019s testimony in which the Pentagon chief said the ceasefire effectively paused the 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution.
\n\u201cWho were the parties to the ceasefire?\u201d Aguilar asked. \u201cWell, right now we are in that same ceasefire, as of right now,\u201d Hegseth replied. Aguilar interrupted, saying, \u201cThat wasn\u2019t the question. Who are the parties to the ceasefire?\u201d \u201cThat would be the United States and the regime in Iran,\u201d Hegseth responded.
\nThe Democrat from the state of California then pressed for details on the agreement, asking whether the ceasefire had written terms or formal documentation.
\n\u201cHow many pages is the ceasefire? What deal points? How do we know that the ceasefire is active or not active without any documentation?\u201d Aguilar asked. \u201cWe know,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cIt\u2019s evident, and the ceasefire is in effect.\u201d Aguilar continued questioning whether lawmakers were simply expected to trust the administration\u2019s assessment without seeing a formal framework. \u201cYou just trust that the president knows that the ceasefire is active or not inactive?\u201d Aguilar asked. \u201cAs you know, for the most part, a ceasefire means the fire is ceasing, and we know that has occurred while negotiations occur,\u201d Hegseth replied. The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
\nA ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a set deadline.
\nEarlier in the hearing, Hegseth defended the administration\u2019s broader military posture and the proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget, calling it \u201ca fiscally responsible budget\u201d and \u201ca war-fighting budget\u201d. \u201cWe are rebuilding a military that the American people can be proud of,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cOne that instils nothing less than the unrelenting fear in our adversaries and confidence in our allies. We fight to win in every scenario.\u201d
\nThe defence secretary also argued that concerns about US weapons stockpiles had been exaggerated after committee chairman Ken Calvert raised questions about munitions spending and replenishment needs tied to the ongoing operation.
\n\u201cThe munitions issue has been foolishly and unhealthily overstated,\u201d said Hegseth. \u201cWe know exactly what we have. We have plenty of what we need.\u201d
\nRepresentative Betty McCollum later asked whether the Pentagon had contingency plans should the ceasefire collapse.
\n\u201cWe have a plan for all of that,\u201d said Hegseth. \u201cWe have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets.\u201d
\nHe declined to provide operational specifics publicly, citing the sensitivity of the mission and the administration\u2019s objective \u201cto ensure that Iran never has a nuclear bomb\u201d.
\nUS war in Iran has cost $29b so far, says Pentagon
\nA senior Pentagon official earlier said the war in Iran has cost $29 \u200cbillion so far, an increase of $4b from an estimate provided \u200blate last month.
\nWith just six months before the \u200bmidterm elections in which US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u2060Republicans may face an uphill battle to \u200bkeep their House majority, Democrats are riding high \u200bin public opinion polls as they attempt to link the war with cost-of-living issues.
\nOn April 29, the \u200bPentagon said the war at that point \u200bhad cost $25b.
\nJules Hurst, who is performing the duties of \u200cthe \u2060comptroller, told lawmakers that the new cost included updated repair and replacement of equipment and operational costs.
\n\u201cThe joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking \u200bat that \u200bestimate,\u201d Hurst \u2060said. He was speaking alongside Hegseth and General Caine.
\nIran now defines Strait of Hormuz as far larger zone, IRGC officer says
\nIran has expanded its definition of the Strait of \u200bHormuz into a \u201cvast operational area\u201d far wider than before the Iran war, \u200caccording to a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
\nThe strait is no longer viewed as a narrow stretch around a handful of islands but instead has been greatly \u200benlarged in scope and military significance, said Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy political director \u200bof the IRGC Navy, the state-affiliated Fars news agency reported on \u2060Tuesday.
\n\u201cIn the past, the Strait of Hormuz was defined as a limited area \u200baround islands such as Hormuz and Hengam, but today this view has changed,\u201d Akbarzadeh \u200bsaid.
\nAbout a fifth of the world\u2019s oil and liquefied natural gas supply normally passes through the strait, which is the \u200bgateway to the Gulf and main export route for countries such as Saudi \u200bArabia, Iraq and Qatar.
\nAkbarzadeh said the strait is now defined as a strategic zone stretching from \u200cthe \u2060city of Jask in the east to Siri Island in the west, describing it as \u201ca vast operational area\u201d.
\nThe reported expansion is the second announced by Iran since the start of its conflict with the US and Israel.
\nOn May 4, the IRGC Navy \u200bpublished a map showing \u200ba new zone \u2060of control extending along significant a stretch of the UAE\u2019s Gulf of Oman coastline.
\nThat stretched from Iran\u2019s Mount Mobarak and the \u200bUAE\u2019s emirate of Fujairah in the east to Iran\u2019s Qeshm \u200bIsland and \u2060the UAE emirate of Umm al Quwain in the west.
\nTuesday\u2019s announcement appears to represent a widening of that area.
\nFars and Tasnim, another Iranian news agency, reported on Tuesday \u2060that \u200bthe strait\u2019s width, which they said was previously estimated \u200bat 20 to 30 miles, had now increased to between 200 and 300 miles. The expanded zone forms \u200ba \u201ccomplete crescent\u201d, Tasnim said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018We have a plan to escalate if necessary. We have a plan to retrograde if necessary,\u2019 US defence chief says Washington United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that a ceasefire between the US and Iran was active, even as lawmakers pressed him on whether a formal written agreement existed between the two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-546084","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n