Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'something that we don't need'

Asked about reports that a preliminary inquiry determined that the airstrike on an Iranian school was carried out by the U.S., Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declined to comment.

"We're not going to let reporting lead us or force our hand into indicating what happened in a particular situation because the truth matters," Hegseth said.

"I can report that CENTCOM has designated an investigating officer to complete a command investigation. The command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident. And the investigating officer is from outside CENTCOM and is a general officer," Hegseth said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khameini is "wounded and likely disfigured," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday.

"His father: dead, he's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It's a mess for them. Who's in charge? Iran may not even know," Hegseth said, commenting on why the new supreme leader put out a written statement on Thursday.

"With every passing hour, we know and we know they know, that the military capabilities of their evil regime are crumbling. They can barely communicate, let alone coordinate," Hegseth said.

Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane incident, saying it is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.

“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire," Caine said.

"We're still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and U.S. Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available," Caine said.

Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said we "don’t need to worry" about it.

Reading news headlines, Hegseth commented on claims the "Trump administration underestimated the Iran wars impact on the Strait of Hormuz," saying that is "patently ridiculous."

"For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage," he said.