WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s planned press conference on Tuesday was abruptly canceled without explanation hours in advance, as the US began striking Kharg Island, where roughly 90% of Iran’s oil is handled.
Pentagon officials informed reporters about the abrupt cancellation late Monday. Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have regularly been briefing reporters on the war in Iran since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
The US carried out dozens of strikes on Iran’s oil enclave on Tuesday, though the attacks appear to have been aimed at military targets specifically, according to multiple reports.
Iran has named attacks against Kharg Island as a red line. Trump has given the regime a deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday to cut a deal with him on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which over one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows annually, or face severe military consequences.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote in a jaw-dropping Truth Social post. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
Trump had announced a pause on attacks against Iranian energy infrastructure last month, citing progress in talks with the beleaguered regime. The president repeatedly extended the deadline, with the latest cutoff being Tuesday at 8 pm ET. Recently, he claimed that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made progress during their negotiations.
It’s unclear whether the scrapped press conference was intended as a misdirection or whether battlefield events prompted the cancellation. At times during the war, the Trump administration has sought to trick Iran.
For example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a visit to Israel planned in early March that was canceled after Operation Epic Fury attacks on Iran began Feb. 28. CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently confirmed that the spy agency used deception techniques to rescue two crew members who were onboard an F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet that was shot down over Iranian airspace last week.
Hegseth has also talked about misdirecting the enemy, suggesting in February that he may order a bunch of pizzas to confuse the “Pentagon Pizza Report” X account, which tracks orders near the Pentagon to determine whether significant military action is taking place.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis
“Some Friday night, when you see a bunch of Domino’s orders, it might just be me on an app, throwing the whole system off so we keep everybody off balance. We look at every indicator,” he quipped to Fox News earlier this year.
Hegseth and Caine have used the press conferences to boast about America’s military successes during the conflict with Iran.
The secretary of war had joined Trump during a Monday briefing to the press to discuss the daring rescue operation to save the two F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet crew members who had ejected after being shot down.