During a press conference on Friday, April 24, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth assured that the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz penalized Europeans more than the United States, while accusing allies of not wanting to engage in the conflict.
“It should not only be the war of the United States.” During a press conference from Virginia on Friday, April 24, Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, once again criticized Europe, deemed too hesitant in the war in Iran.
“The Strait of Hormuz is not a country, it is not our energy that flows through that strait. We have enough energy. It is Europe and Asia that have benefited from our protection for decades, but that is over,” he declared, adding that the United States “deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal.” “One does not rely solely on being an ally. We do not count on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz more than we do,” Pete Hegseth added, criticizing European efforts as “not very serious.”
Traffic at a standstill in the strait
“Our determination remains, our capabilities are unequalled, and our blockade will continue. We have all the time in the world. Iran has a historic opportunity to seal a good deal, the ball is in their court,” he concluded.
Diplomatic negotiations that were supposed to resume early this week in Islamabad between American and Iranian belligerents, following a failure on April 11, are still in limbo.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met on Friday with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, as well as with the powerful Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir.
Traffic has come to a standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) used to transit before the conflict, and is now subject to both Iranian and American double blockade.
/regions/2026/04/24/69eb2b9694aa9344430329.jpg "An Alpha Jet plane on display at Place de la République in Dijon: the 4 armies in demonstration, we need young people")
