The Ateela 2 Oil Tanker boat navigates the sea on April 28 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz.
Photo: Asghar Besharati/Getty Images
President Donald Trump continues to insist the Iran war is essentially over after an April cease-fire agreement, but his order for the United States to help guide ships through the currently blocked Strait of Hormuz — the integral waterway that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil supply — is escalating tensions as Iran reiterates its threat to attack any vessels seeking to traverse the channel.
In a Sunday Truth Social post, Trump wrote that countries throughout the world have asked the U.S. to intervene and help their ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, calling them “merely neutral and innocent bystanders.” The president said that, beginning Monday morning, the U.S. will start to “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.” Shipping traffic through the strait has largely been halted by Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched their first strikes on the nation in late February. In April, the U.S. responded with a military blockade of ships entering or exiting Iranian ports. On Monday, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that the United States intends to introduce a resolution condemning Iran’s takeover of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all. The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote.
But he vowed that any attempt to stop what he has dubbed “Project Freedom” will prompt retaliation from the United States. “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he said.
Axios reports that the operation stems from Trump’s frustration with an apparent lack of progress since the U.S. entered into a cease-fire agreement in early April, the initial two-week deadline of which has been extended indefinitely. “The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal,” a senior U.S. official told the outlet.
By Monday, U.S. Central Command reported on social media that two U.S. merchant vessels had “successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey” and that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Arabian Gulf in support of the operation. “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,” one post read.
CENTCOM also debunked a claim from Iranian state media Monday morning that a U.S. Navy ship had been struck by two missiles. “No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
While the U.S. military is denying the attack occurred, there are additional signs that tensions are growing in the region. On Monday, Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads CENTCOM, reported that Iran had attempted to attack ships under the U.S.’s protection with drones, missiles and small ships, but were ultimately intercepted. Per the Associated Press, Cooper said that the United States sunk six Iranian small ships. The United Arab Emirates issued multiple missile warnings Monday and later confirmed that its missile-defense systems are actively contending with drone and missile attacks from Iran and successfully intercepted three missile while a fourth fell in the sea. This would mark the first hostilities from Iran towards the Gulf nation since the ceasefire went into effect. According to Reuters, an oil terminal in Fujairah has caught fire following a suspected Iranian drone strike, injuring three Indian nationals in the attack.
Trump appeared to confirm that a reported fire on a South Korean ship was the result of an Iranian attack. In a social media post, the president said that was the only reported damage from Iran around the strait. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!,” Trump wrote.
The president’s announcement of the Hormuz operation prompted a strong reaction from Iran with its Revolutionary Guard vowing to attack any ship that attempts to traverse the strait. “We warn that any foreign armed force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked,” Ali Abdollahi, a top Iranian military official, said, per the New York Times.
According to Axios, Trump had initially been presented with a plan to send Navy ships through the strait in order to force the waterway open but ultimately decided to go with the less aggressive option with naval ships on standby in case conditions escalate. A source close to Trump told the outlet that Project Freedom could potentially be the “beginning of a process that could lead to a confrontation with the Iranians.”
Despite the growing tensions, diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have continued. On Saturday, Trump said on social media he would be reviewing Iran’s peace proposal, adding that he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.” Iran then said Sunday it had received and was reviewing a U.S. response to its proposal.
But Trump reiterated his warning to Iran in an phone call with Fox News, reportedly telling the outlet that if Iran attacks any U.S. ships in the region, the country will be “blown off the face of the earth.”
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