Trump Launches ‘Project Freedom’ To Guide Ships Through Strait of Hormuz

The United States will begin guiding international ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, President Trump said.In a long post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said countries from all over the world have asked the U.S. if it could help “free up their ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with. They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!”“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Mr. Trump added. The president said he told his representatives to inform the countries that the U.S. will use “best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else. This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time.”Mr. Trump also warned that if the effort to guide ships is interfered with in any way “that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the U.S. military support to “Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members.”“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said. Axios reported that the U.S. Navy ships will not necessarily be escorting ships, citing two U.S. officials. U.S. Navy ships will be “in the vicinity” should the ships need protection from Iranian attacks, the report added. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations meanwhile warned on Monday morning that the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz “remains CRITICAL due to ongoing regional military operations.”“Mariners should expect increased naval presence, enhanced force protection postures, potential VHF hailing, and congestion near anchorage areas,” a statement on X said. UKMTO also said it received a report of an incident 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.“A tanker has reported being hit by unknown projectiles. All crew reported safe,” the statement said. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi upped the hostile rhetoric against the U.S. on Monday, saying Iran’’s Armed Forces will be “the ultimate winner” in the “unequal battle” the regime is facing.“Those who relied solely on modern weapons have demonstrated their ineffectiveness against warriors who possessed spiritual and ideological power,” he added.

Trump Launches ‘Project Freedom’ To Guide Ships Through Strait of Hormuz

Trump Launches ‘Project Freedom’ To Guide Ships Through Strait of Hormuz

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