US Launches 'Project Freedom' Campaign to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Al Jazeera Staff
The US military has launched 'Project Freedom' to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway blocked amid US-Iran tensions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the campaign as defensive and temporary, while Iran has warned vessels to follow its designated corridors or face retaliation.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on May 5 the deployment of a military operation dubbed 'Project Freedom,' with the goal of reopening safe transit lanes for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz—a vital waterway currently blocked amid the US-Iran conflict.
A CENTCOM spokesperson said shipping companies and insurers have responded positively to the newly launched campaign, which seeks to restore the flow of international cargo for the benefit of regional and global economies.
The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of the US-Israel conflict with Iran since February 28, driving up global commodity prices. Iran has blocked the strait by threatening to deploy naval mines, drones, missiles, and fast-attack boats. In response, the US has blockaded Iranian ports and organized escorted convoys for commercial shipping.
On the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported that 10 civilian sailors have been killed due to the conflict near Hormuz, and confirmed that the US Navy had destroyed seven Iranian speedboats in the waterway. Rubio stressed that the United States will continue to clear routes through the strait to restore freedom of navigation.
'Defensive in nature'
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described 'Project Freedom' as defensive, focused, and temporary, with the sole mission of 'protecting innocent commercial ships from Iranian aggression.' He stated that US forces will not need to enter Iranian territorial waters or airspace but asserted that Tehran cannot continue to obstruct international trade.
Hegseth announced that two US commercial vessels along with a warship had already transited the strait. Iran denied this, but shipping firm Maersk confirmed that the US-flagged vessel Alliance Fairfax departed the Persian Gulf under US military escort on May 4.
On the same day, multiple cargo ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) claimed it was attacked by Iran at an oil port, though Iran’s military denied the allegation. Tehran confirmed it had fired warning shots at a US warship attempting to approach the strait, forcing it to turn back.
Military analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu assessed that the US push to reopen Hormuz increases the risk of miscalculation from both sides, especially Iran, and has 'pushed Tehran into an escalation posture.'
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) subsequently released a new map of the Strait of Hormuz with an expanded control zone, warning that vessels must only traverse corridors designated by Iran or face 'decisive retaliation.'
US President Donald Trump remarked that Iran's military has been reduced to 'toy guns' and that Tehran seeks peace. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, revealed that over 1,500 ships with approximately 22,500 crew members remain stranded in the Gulf, though Iranian attacks on US forces have not yet crossed the 'threshold to restart full-scale hostilities.'
When asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump replied: 'They know what not to do.'
