Greg Myrie

So there was a Pentagon news conference this morning and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Jan Cain, were both there talking to reporters and they gave a very upbeat answer.

Now, they said the shooting yesterday was below the threshold of resuming combat operations.

And they said, though, that the first day of this operation showed that the U.S., not Iran, controls the Strait, that the U.S.

blockade is holding while Iran's is not.

No new clashes have been reported today.

However, no additional commercial ships have gone through the Strait.

And one final note, Hegseth and Kane both described this as a temporary operation and said they hope that Iran does make a deal.

That's NPR's Greg Myrie.

Greg, thanks a lot.

Sure thing, eh?

The Pentagon says the move follows a thorough review of U.S.

forces in Europe.

Around 35,000 American troops are currently based in Germany, the largest U.S.

military presence in Europe and one of the biggest in any country outside the U.S.

The drawdown is slated to take place over the next 6 to 12 months.

The Pentagon gave no information on where the troops might be sent.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week that, quote, the Americans clearly have no strategy for ending the war in Iran.

President Trump fired back, saying the German leader should worry more about his country and stop interfering in the Iran war.

Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington.

says the move follows a thorough review of U.S.