Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized European and Asian allies Friday for not committing naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran conflict, saying 'the time for free riding is over' and that America shouldn't carry the burden alone. The quote and criticism are accurately reported across multiple outlets including Politico and Bloomberg. However, Hegseth's claim that the U.S. 'barely uses' the Strait of Hormuz is factually wrong—the U.S. imports roughly 600,000 barrels of oil daily through it, though Europe and Asia do depend far more heavily. The headline and framing selectively emphasize allied reluctance while omitting that European and British-led conferences were actively underway to coordinate response, presenting a partial picture of allied engagement.