U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used a direct interview with Kurdistan24’s Washington bureau chief Rahim Rashidi on Friday to reaffirm America’s security commitment to the Kurdistan Region, stating that the United States is “closely monitoring” ongoing drone and missile strikes targeting Erbil and surrounding areas. The remarks were the first time Hegseth had addressed the Kurdistan Region’s security situation directly and on the record since the conflict with Iran began in late February.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has been living under a sustained threat posture throughout the conflict. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy documented more than 500 drone and missile attacks against Kurdish territory launched by Iran and Iranian-aligned Iraqi militias since the war’s outbreak, killing approximately 10 civilians and wounding nearly 60 others. The Lanaz oil refinery near Erbil and the Khor Mor natural gas field were struck repeatedly, triggering power blackouts across the region.

Hegseth’s pledge, while not accompanied by specific new military commitments, reinforces the Kurdish leadership’s calculation that Washington views the Kurdistan Region as a central pillar of U.S. security architecture in the Middle East. That architecture is now operating on an indefinite ceasefire footing, with combat operations against Iran formally concluded.

The broader context of Friday’s statements from Washington went far beyond Kurdistan. In a joint Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine formally announced that Operation Epic Fury has achieved a “decisive military result,” and that the campaign has now transitioned into what Hegseth described as a “growing and going global” maritime blockade of Iran. The shift marks the end of the active combat phase and the beginning of an indefinite economic containment operation.

Gen. Caine detailed the mechanics of the blockade for reporters. The U.S. military is currently enforcing restrictions on all vessels attempting to move to or from Iranian ports, regardless of flag state. As of Friday morning, 34 ships had been intercepted and forced to turn back. Three additional vessels were seized outright: the M/V Touska, and two “dark fleet” tankers identified as the M/T Tifani and the M/T Majestic X. All three interdictions occurred within U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean. The crews of those vessels remain in American custody.

A second U.S. aircraft carrier is expected to join the blockade shortly. The Pentagon confirmed that 34 non-Iranian vessels have been permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the operation began, including during overnight hours, though overall shipping volumes through the strait remain substantially below historical norms.

The rules of engagement governing the blockade have now been formally hardened. Following a direct order from President Donald Trump issued Thursday, U.S. Navy commanders have been given explicit authority to “shoot to destroy” any Iranian asset found to be laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz or threatening commercial shipping. Hegseth confirmed Friday that those orders are now in the hands of operational commanders and are considered active.

Iran has not been passive. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commandos were captured on edited video released Thursday showing masked personnel using speedboats to board commercial vessels transiting the strait. Hegseth characterized the targeted ships as “random” civilian cargo vessels subjected to gunfire. The Philippine government separately confirmed that 15 Filipino seafarers aboard vessels seized by Iran are safe and unharmed, based on the latest information available to the Pentagon.

Iran has also claimed it began collecting toll revenue from vessels transiting the strait on Thursday. U.S. Central Command rejected that assertion, stating it maintains “total control” of the waterway. The competing claims illustrate the contested nature of the strait’s status under the current operational posture, where both powers are enforcing overlapping and incompatible maritime authority simultaneously.

Hegseth’s comments to Kurdistan24 on Iran’s nuclear ambitions sat within a broader diplomatic posture outlined at the Pentagon. The Secretary stated that a “wise deal” with Iran remains Washington’s preferred outcome, and that the nuclear question is the central objective. President Trump, speaking separately at the White House, reinforced that position while declining to set any timeline for a settlement. Trump described the current pause in bombing as giving him “more leverage” over a “severely fractured” Iranian leadership, and warned that strikes would resume if Tehran failed to engage meaningfully.

The indefinite ceasefire with Iran runs alongside a separate three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Pentagon officials believe that extension could influence Tehran’s calculations, given Iran’s deep investment in Hezbollah as a strategic deterrent. With both fronts now under temporary operational pause, the blockade has become the primary pressure instrument.

One unusual wrinkle in the week’s developments was the departure of Navy Secretary John Phelan. President Trump confirmed Phelan had left his post at the direction of both himself and Hegseth, describing the outgoing secretary as a “wonderful guy” who struggled to maintain professional relationships with senior officials. The dismissal, during an active global blockade operation, underscores the degree of internal turbulence within the Department of War even as it projects outward confidence.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has been among the most exposed parties throughout the conflict. While not a formal combatant, the region served as a target for Iranian proxy aggression stretching back to before Operation Epic Fury commenced. The KRG has repeatedly called for enhanced air defense capabilities and concrete U.S. security guarantees. Hegseth’s language on Friday about “closely monitoring” the situation represents Washington’s baseline acknowledgment of that exposure, but falls short of the binding military commitments Erbil has been seeking.

The strategic value of Kurdistan to U.S. regional policy is not in question. Erbil functions as a hub for counter-terrorism operations, houses significant U.S. military infrastructure, and provides a stable governance model in an otherwise fractured landscape. The KRG’s willingness to absorb hundreds of strikes without triggering direct escalation has also made it a passive but important stabilizer in the conflict’s broader dynamics.

The transition to a blockade phase — rather than active air campaign — should theoretically reduce the threat of further missile and drone strikes on Erbil originating from Iranian territory. However, Iranian-aligned Iraqi militias operating from Popular Mobilization Force positions inside Iraq remain a live threat vector that no maritime blockade can neutralize.

Sources

• Kurdistan24 — “U.S. War Secretary Hegseth Pledges Support for Kurdistan Region,” April 24, 2026
• Kurdistan24 — “U.S. Department of War Expands Blockade of Iran Globally,” April 24, 2026
• CBS News — Melissa Quinn and Joe Walsh, Pentagon blockade briefing dispatch, April 24, 2026 (cited via Kurdistan24)
• The Washington Institute for Near East Policy — KRG strike exposure assessment, 2026

©StrategyBattles.net 2026. All rights reserved. This article is produced for informational and editorial purposes. All military claims attributed to official statements are reported as stated and do not constitute independent verification of operational outcomes. Strategy Battles is an independent defence and security analysis publication.