[48957] US launches 'Project Freedom' to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz; Iran threatens retaliation

US launches 'Project Freedom' to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on May 4, 2026, the commencement of "Project Freedom," a mission initiated by the Trump administration aimed at restoring commercial freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. According to CENTCOM as reported on Iran International, the operation will involve the deployment of extensive resources, including approximately 15,000 troops, missile carriers, and over 100 aircraft, with the goal of protecting a strategic route that transports a quarter of the world's oil.

Despite initial reports of active protection, US officials clarified to Axios and the Wall Street Journal that this is a coordination headquarters rather than direct military escort of oil tankers. According to reports, the US will provide commercial ships with intelligence on safe routes that have not been mined by the Iranian military, with naval forces remaining in "close proximity" only as necessary to prevent attacks.

Mike Waltz, the US Representative to the UN, stated on Iran International that the world cannot allow countries to use the blocking of trade routes as a political "leverage," and emphasized that the US and its Gulf partners will lead the effort to protect freedom of navigation.

Conversely, the Iranian response was sharp. In Khouzestan News Today, which is affiliated with Tehran's official narrative, the head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee was quoted warning that any American intervention would be considered a "violation of the ceasefire." At the same time, a senior Iranian official claimed on Khorasan Online that American ships are far from the main routes and threatened that commercial ships utilizing the initiative would be targeted before they could receive any American protection.