New Delhi, Aug. 13 -- The United States has enough military assets to maintain its naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday (August 13), signalling that Washington is prepared to sustain pressure on Tehran as efforts to end the conflict remain stalled.

Hegseth said the US Navy could keep ships in the region for as long as necessary by rotating vessels in and out of the area.

"Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we'll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we'll continue to," Hegseth told reporters.

Hegseth made the comments in Panama after addressing the crew of the USS Gridley, a guided-missile destroyer that had previously deployed to the Middl...