Iran ceasefire under threat as Trump's 'Project Freedom' escalates Strait of Hormuz tensions |
Iran ceasefire under threat as Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ escalates Strait of Hormuz tensions
The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is under threat of falling apart after President Trump declared that the U.S. would “guide” vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort he called “Project Freedom,” to begin Monday.
In response, Iran’s armed forces said they would not allow passage to American combat forces or commercial ships without their authorization.
Tehran’s forces opened fire on U.S. warships and commercial vessels on Monday, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) head Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters. He said American forces returned fire and destroyed six small Iranian boats.
Cooper would not say whether the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran had ended.
The situation is threatening to reignite a war that has been paused during the temporary ceasefire and send gas prices even higher. It may also fuel frustration in Congress, after Trump told lawmakers last week the war was over as it passed the 60-day mark.
Trump announced Project Freedom in a Sunday post on his Truth Social platform, saying that other countries had asked the U.S. to help free their vessels “locked up in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The plan does not include dedicated U.S. escorts through the corridor, but Navy ships will be in the vicinity, with the U.S. providing commercial ships with information on safe maritime lanes, officials told Axios and The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Central Command said Monday that “guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members” would support the operation, but it didn’t say how such equipment and personnel would help guide boats.
Cooper said the U.S. military “strongly advised” Iran to steer clear of U.S.........