Hegseth: US would welcome 'serious European effort' to help with Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday (April 24) said the U.S. is open to "a serious European effort" to assist in ending the standoff with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We would welcome that," Hegseth said at a news conference. "We would, a serious European effort to do something about this Strait and this passage, considering it's their energy capabilities that are most at stake."

Standing next to top U.S. General Dan Caine, Hegseth said ​the U.S. was "not anxious" for a deal with Iran, and repeated Trump's previous comments of ​having "all the time in the world."

"Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely ... at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and ​verifiable ways," he said.

Caine said the U.S. Central Command continues to maintain a ​strict blockade on all ports in Iran. Thirty-four ships had been turned around as of Friday morning, he ‌said. The U.S. ⁠military would continue to interdict Iranian vessels in the Pacific and Indian oceans, Caine added.

"We're enforcing the blockade across the board against any ship of any nationality that is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory," Caine said.

Peace talks between Iran and the United States could resume soon in Pakistan, three Pakistani sources told Reuters on Friday, after the last round of talks expected earlier this week fell through.

-Tom Rowe/Brad Ulery/Reuters