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US President Donald Trump has officially mobilised the US military to launch “Project Freedom”, as fraught discussions to end the hostilities with Iran roll on.
The US military will use its arsenal and thousands of service members to free vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command.
Analysts believe the plan is a US-led attempt to restart limited commercial movement through the vital waterway without the mission becoming a full wartime convoy campaign.
Iran immediately rebuffed the measure and said on Monday it had forced one US warship to turn back at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom denied a report that the warship had been struck by Iranian missiles.
Iran's Fars News Agency reported that the vessel was operating near Jask and was accused of breaching maritime traffic and security regulations while attempting to cross the strait.
The ship was unable to continue after being struck and turned around, the agency said, citing Iranian sources.
Centcom rejected the report, saying US forces were continuing to operate in the region as part of “Project Freedom”.
Iranian threats
Earlier, Tehran had warned the US against entering the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from the unified command of the country's armed forces reported by state media.
It came after President Trump had announced the US Navy would start escorting foreign vessels out of the waterway.
Iran's armed forces said: “We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”
Mr Trump did not provide much detail on how this would work, but Centcom said it would support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the international trade corridor.
A senior Iranian official has also warned that the Islamic republic will treat any US move to escort stranded ships from the strait as a breach of ceasefire terms.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s National Security Commission, issued the warning after Mr Trump said the US Navy would begin escorting foreign vessels through the strait from Monday under a “humanitarian” initiative.
“Any American intervention in the process of the new Strait of Hormuz maritime system will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” Mr Azizi wrote on X.
For more than two months, Iran has been blocking nearly all vessels from accessing the waterway, apart from its own ships and others it deems friendly, sending energy prices soaring.
Project Freedom
Centcom said the operation, called “Project Freedom”, will involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain uncrewed platforms and 15,000 service members, in what appears to be a significant military build-up ready to escort ships through the strait.
Axios reported that it may stop short of direct US Navy escorts, with warships instead staying nearby to intervene if needed and to guide commercial vessels through safer, mine-free routes.
Kristian Alexander, senior fellow at the Abu Dhabi-based Rabdan Security and Defence Institute, told The National he expected this would work under a phased system: “First, maritime surveillance and vessel triage. Second, identification of safer transit corridors, probably including routes through Omani waters. Third, sequencing ships in controlled group and fourth, keeping US naval assets nearby to intervene if attacked.
“The US-led Joint Maritime Information Centre advised ships to reroute through Omani waters inside an 'enhanced security area', while the US may stop short of direct close escort, with warships instead positioned nearby to respond if Iran interferes.”
Obstacles
The main obstacle is escalation, said Mr Alexander. The US operation could lead to open conflict between Iran and American forces, but Mr Trump said neutral ships must be allowed safe passage.
“A second problem is that the strait is not simply 'blocked' in a physical sense, it is contested by layered Iranian capabilities,” said Mr Alexander. “The risks include mines, small-boat swarms, drones, anti-ship missiles, coastal surveillance and harassment or seizure of commercial vessels.
“A third difficulty is commercial confidence. Shipowners and insurers may not be persuaded by US military protection if Iran retains the ability to retaliate later against vessels, crews, ports or companies.”
The historical comparison is Operation Earnest Will in the 1980s, when the US protected reflagged Kuwaiti tankers during the Iran-Iraq "Tanker War". But today’s environment is more complex because Iran has more advanced drones, missiles, surveillance tools and asymmetric naval options, Mr Alexander added.
Soon after Mr Trump's comments, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had reported being hit by unidentified projectiles in the strait.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre, led by US Naval Forces Central Command, has warned that the threat level in the strait remains “critical” despite the plan to escort vessels. It said the assessment reflects heightened risks to commercial shipping linked to increased military presence, naval mine threats and navigation hazards.
State of negotiations
Iranian state media said Washington had conveyed its response to Iran's 14-point proposal via Pakistan and that Tehran was reviewing it.
Mr Trump said on Sunday his representatives “were having “very positive” discussions with Iran, and that those talks “could lead to something very positive for all”.
State media quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying that Iran has not held nuclear negotiations. He said talks with Oman on protocol for the safe passage of ships through the waterway were continuing.
The comment was an apparent reference to Iran's proposal to set aside talks on nuclear issues until the war has ended and the foes have agreed to lift opposing blockades of Gulf shipping.
The US and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, and American and Iranian officials held one round of talks. But attempts to set up further meetings have so far failed.
