From USA TODAY.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports will continue and threatened strikes on the Middle Eastern country’s infrastructure if it fails to make a deal to end the war.

"We’d rather not have to do it, but we’re ready to go at the command of our president," Hegseth said at a Thursday briefing at the Pentagon, adding: "We are locked and loaded."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/04/16/iran-war-trump-ceasefire-updates–live/89635984007/