Tit for tat in Strait of Hormuz threatens Iran ceasefire

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Defense &National Security

Defense &National Security

Tit-for tat in Strait of Hormuz threatens Iran ceasefire

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.”

AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

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. military assets in the region and that the U.S. naval blockade, which prevents ships departing from Iranian ports from leaving the region, will remain in effect. 

The head of Iran’s central command, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, had earlier warned that Tehran would attack “any foreign armed force” that tried to approach or enter the strait, “especially, the........

© The Hill