"Project Freedom" does not open the Strait of Hormuz

The United States yesterday launched an operation to "route" ships trapped in the Gulf due to the war with Iran through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, but the plan, announced by President Donald Trump just hours before it took effect, leaves a number of open questions - especially because Tehran insists that any such passage must be coordinated with its armed forces.

Trump, without providing details, announced the plan on social media on Sunday evening under the name "Project Freedom," presenting it as a humanitarian gesture to help the crews of hundreds of ships that have been unable to leave the Gulf since the start of the war.

It was not immediately clear how the operation would work, and Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on the X network that it would not necessarily involve naval escorts of commercial ships.

The US military said two US Navy destroyers armed with guided missiles had sailed into the Gulf to break an Iranian blockade and that two US merchant ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied any passage, and there was no indication that Trump's "Project Freedom" had led to a significant increase in shipping traffic through the waterway.

The intervention, according to Reuters, increases the risk of a direct conflict between the US and Iran in the waterway that normally carries a fifth of the world's oil and gas, but which has been blocked for two months due to war. Reports from the two sides were contradictory yesterday, and the media was unable to independently confirm the accuracy of the information.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier yesterday that two US-flagged merchant ships had passed through the strait while US destroyers were operating in the Gulf, adding: "US forces are actively assisting efforts to restore the transit of commercial maritime traffic."

Tehran, however, announced that it had forced a US warship to return from the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military also said it had destroyed six small Iranian vessels and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran, and a military official denied allegations that Iranian small vessels had been sunk, Iranian state television reported.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said he had “strongly advised” Iranian forces to stay away from US military assets during the operation. He added that the US blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from entering Iranian ports or leaving Iranian territory, remains in place and is “exceeding expectations.”

US Central Command said in a post on the X network that its support for the operation, dubbed “Project Freedom,” “will include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, and unmanned platforms for multi-domain operations.”

However, it is not specified how these military assets will contribute to the resumption of the passage of merchant ships through the strait.

Jennifer Parker, a fellow at the Lowy Institute and a former officer in the Royal Australian Navy, told CNN on Monday that she expects the US military to increase its presence in and above the strait to provide a sense of security to merchant ships trying to pass through.

"It appears to be an operation... that is less about directly protecting one or a few ships and more about trying to change the situation in the strait" so that the ships "feel safe," Parker said.

According to Parker, a convoy escort operation, in which US destroyers would sail alongside merchant ships, is unlikely, but she assessed that increasing the number of US warships passing through the strait would be a positive move.

This is because, to stop the operation, Iran would have to directly confront the US Navy, which it has not done so far.

“In a way, Trump is forcing Iran to show its cards,” she said. “They would have to escalate the situation and open fire on American warships, which is a whole other level of escalation,” Parker said.

Representatives of shipping and oil companies said that an agreed and complete cessation of hostilities is needed, because military convoys alone are not sufficient for normal traffic to be safely restored.

"It takes both sides to unblock - not just one," Bjorn Hojgard, CEO of ship management company Anglo-Eastern, told CNN.

The explosion reported on the South Korean merchant ship HMM Namu in the strait is likely to further discourage shipping companies from daring to attempt the passage.

Washington has so far been hesitant to send US warships within range of Iranian shore-based anti-ship missiles or small attack craft that Tehran can deploy in large numbers in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTKOM has only confirmed once that US destroyers have passed through the strait - on April 11, when two US destroyers passed through that waterway "as part of a broader mission aimed at ensuring that the strait is completely cleared of sea mines."

Hundreds of commercial ships and as many as 20.000 seafarers were unable to pass through the strait during the conflict, the International Maritime Organization said.