Watch Live: Hegseth, Caine and Cooper update on Iran war

Politics Watch Live: Hegseth, Caine and Cooper update on Iran war as Trump touts talks between Israel, Lebanon By Joe Walsh, Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh, Caroline Linton Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full Bio Caroline Linton Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 8:13 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military's highest-ranking officer and U.S. Central Command's Admiral Brad Cooper are holding a news conference on the war with Iran early Thursday. Hegseth said that the U.S. will maintain the "successful blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz., adding that the U.S. military can "make the transition" from this blockade to "major combat operations." "We can make that transition again very quickly and even more powerfully than ever," Hegseth said. "At the direction of President Trump, the War Department will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, never. We prefer to do it the nice way through a deal led by our great vice president and negotiating team, or we can do it the hard way."Thursday's briefing comes as House Democrats ramped up their pressure against the war, introducing articles of impeachment against Hegseth Wednesday that allege he has "demonstrated a willful disregard for the Constitution, abused the powers of his office, and acted in a manner grossly incompatible with the rule of law" in the war. The resolution is almost certain to be dead on arrival since Republicans control the House, but it could come back up should Democrats take control next year. Mr. Trump posted on social media late Wednesday that Israeli and Lebanese leaders will speak Thursday....