Iran live updates: Hegseth says 'blockade is growing and going global'

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that U.S. forces are ready to continue striking Iran if President Donald Trump issues the order.

Caine described how the U.S. seized the Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which he said tried to evade the blockade. Caine said the U.S. fired five warning shots and ultimately nine disabling shots at the ship.

“American forces began to issue several clear and unambiguous warnings and informed the vessel and its crew that they were in violation of the U.S. blockade and directed the ship to turn around,” Caine said. “Over a six-hour period, the vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored U.S. warnings, and then the U.S. Navy destroyer executed a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots. The vessel and her crew continued to ignore warnings, and after exhausting all other measures, CENTCOM authorized disabling fire against the Touska.”

“U.S. sailors warned the crew to abandon the engine room, and at approximately 9 a.m. Eastern Time, the destroyer disabled the Touska’s engine by firing nine inert rounds … precisely into the engine room,” Caine said.

The vessel “went dead in the water and began to comply with U.S. directions and orders,” he said, and “CENTCOM ordered United States marines to seize the ship via helicopters.”

-ABC News’ Steven Beynon, Christopher Boccia and Luis Martinez

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a second aircraft carrier will be joining the blockade in "a few days" and that just this week, the United States seized "two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect."

"They thought they'd made it out just in time. They did not," Hegseth said during a press conference on Friday morning. "We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more."

"President Trump's fortitude is unshakable and his mission is crystal clear," Hegseth continued. "President Trump said it again yesterday. We have all the time in the world, and we're not anxious for a deal."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says "our blockade is only growing and going global" and that Iran "will never get a nuclear bomb."

"Operation Epic Fury has delivered decisive military results," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon on Friday morning.

"Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal. As part of that effort, the United States has imposed an ironclad blockade that grows more powerful by the day. From the gulf of Oman to the open oceans, our Navy is enforcing this blockade without hesitation or apology," Hegseth said.

The commander in chief of Iran's Army General Amir Hatami reiterated unity among the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a post on X on Friday, following President Donald Trump alleging a rift among Iranian leaders.

Hatami said all branches of power are united and "obedient" to the Supreme Leader, adding that they "will make the criminal aggressor regret."

"One God, one Leader, one Nation, one Path, and that is the path to the victory of dear Iran that is more precious than life," Hatami wrote.

In a separate note, commanders of the IRGC Navy and IRGC Aerospace Forces issued a joint message of unity on Thursday evening, saying the unity of the Islamic Republic leaders supports the armed forces as they prepare to fight.

Other top authorities of the country, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, shared similar post emphasizing unity among leaders on their X accounts.

These posts seem to be a response to President Trump’s post on Truth Social on Thursday, where he wrote there is infighting among the Iranian "hardliner" and "moderate" leaders.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian