U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on the Iran war, amid a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Friday. Reuters-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated the need Friday for Asian and European allies to play a role in securing the crucial Strait of Hormuz, saying "the time for free riding is over."
Hegseth made the remarks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, underscoring that the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels is "growing and going global," and that the blockade will last "as long as it takes."
"Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free riding is over," the secretary said, stressing that the U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz "should not be America's fight alone."
"America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street. It's a two-way street," he added.
The Pentagon chief went on to highlight that Europe needs safe passage through the strait for energy imports much more than the United States does.
"(Europe) might want to start doing less talking, having less fancy conferences ... This is much more their fight than ours," he said.
He was apparently calling on allies to provide assistance to support the U.S. maritime blockade or help secure the Strait of Hormuz through such efforts as sending warships to help escort merchant vessels through the waterway fraught with risks of Iranian attacks.
He underlined the growing scale of the maritime blockade, which the U.S. Navy began on April 13 as part of efforts to pressure Tehran to make a deal to end hostilities with the U.S. Iran has used the waterway as a key source of its strategic leverage against the U.S.
"The United States has imposed an ironclad blockade that grows more powerful by the day. From the Gulf of Oman to the open oceans, our Navy is enforcing this blockade without hesitation or apology," he said.
Source: Korea Times News
