The US has initiated 'Project Freedom' to guide ships through the strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, aiming to assist vessels trapped in the Gulf. Shipping executives express caution over the plan's implementation and coordination with Iranian forces.
Key points
US launches Project Freedom to guide ships in the Gulf
Operation aims to assist vessels trapped due to the Iran war
Shipping executives express caution over the plan
US military resources will support the operation without naval escorts
Ship operators must coordinate with Omani authorities
Mentioned in this story
US Central CommandJoint Maritime Information Centerstrat of HormuzOmanDonald TrumpIran
The US has launched an operation to “guide” ships trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war through a southern route of the strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran insists that any such transits will have to be coordinated with its armed forces.
The scheme was announced as “Project Freedom” on Sunday night by Donald Trump on his social media page, where he portrayed it as a humanitarian gesture to help crews on hundreds of ships which have been unable to leave the Gulf since the war began.
Shipping executives have responded cautiously to the move, amid uncertainty over how or if it would work.
US officials were quoted in press reports as saying the operation would not involve naval escorts. US Central Command said it would “support” the project with its considerable military resources in the region, including guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, drones and 15,000 troops. But it said the emphasis of the mission was to “combine diplomatic action with military coordination”.
On Monday morning, a US-led military organisation, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), said the US had established an “enhanced security area” south of the established prewar shipping lanes through the strait. The route would take ships through Omani territorial waters, the JMIC said, and due to high anticipated traffic, ship operators were told to coordinate with Omani authorities by radio.
Ships were advised to avoid navigating in or close to the usual shipping lanes which “should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated”.
Iran’s military command insisted that ships passing must coordinate with them.
“We will manage the security of the strait of Hormuz with all might, and inform all commercial ships and tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without the coordination of the Iranian armed forces stationed in the strait of Hormuz in order not to jeopardise their security,” Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi said, according to Mehr news agency.
Q&A
What is Project Freedom in the strait of Hormuz?
Project Freedom is a US operation aimed at guiding ships through a southern route of the strait of Hormuz to assist vessels trapped in the Gulf due to the Iran war.
How will the US support Project Freedom in the Gulf?
The US will support Project Freedom with military resources, including guided-missile destroyers, aircraft, drones, and troops, but will not provide naval escorts.
What do shipping executives think about the US plan for the strait of Hormuz?
Shipping executives have responded cautiously to the US plan, expressing uncertainty about its effectiveness and coordination with Iranian forces.
What is the role of Omani authorities in Project Freedom?
Ship operators are required to coordinate with Omani authorities by radio due to the anticipated high traffic through the newly established enhanced security area south of prewar shipping lanes.
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Earlier, Abdollahi had said Iran would attack “any foreign armed force” which tried to approach or enter the strait, “especially, the aggressive US army”.
It was unclear on Monday morning how many ships had chosen to use the US-recommended route. Richard Hext, the chair of Vanmar Shipping and the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, pointed out that Iran had previously declared that unapproved transit of the strait would be considered a “violation of the ceasefire” agreed last month.
“Under these circumstances we should be cautious,” Hext told CNN.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Monday that the only way to reopen the strait was “a coordinated reopening by the United States and Iran”.
Speaking at a meeting of European leaders in Armenia, Macron added: “We are not going to take part in any military operation in a framework that to me seems unclear.”
More than 850 ships are estimated to have been trapped in the Gulf since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on 28 February. Iran imposed a blockade on foreign shipping using the strait of Hormuz soon afterwards and Trump imposed a counter-blockade of ships using Iranian ports on 13 April. A Pakistani-brokered ceasefire, announced by Trump in early April, stopped hostilities but failed to open the strait.
An estimated 20,000 sailors are stuck on the tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and other vessels, and there are growing concerns for their welfare. Trump said the US had been approached by countries for help.
Announcing the project on Truth Social, Trump said the US would use its “best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait”. Giving no details on how this would be achieved, the president presented it as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran”.
“I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else,” Trump said.
He added: “If, in any way, this humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
His post was also notable for its claim that there were “very positive discussions between US representatives and Iran … and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all”, in a dramatic change of tone.
Trump has a record of delivering surprisingly upbeat messages in the hours before global markets open. He had initially reacted negatively over the weekend to Iran’s latest 14-point peace proposal, saying Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price” for its past wrongs. The Israeli state broadcaster, Kan News, reported on Sunday night it had interviewed Trump and quoted him as saying he had “studied the new Iranian proposal and it is unacceptable to me”.
Trump’s rhetoric over the weekend, prior to his announcement on Sunday, had been particularly bellicose. After telling Congress in a formal letter that the US was not at war, he told a meeting of supporters at a retirement community in Florida: “You know we’re in a war, because I think you would agree we cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon.”
The war talk boosted speculation over the possibility of another round of US strikes against Iran aimed at forcing concessions, including a halt to the country’s nuclear programme.
Israeli press reports quoted senior military officials as saying they were preparing for possible US strikes on Iran, and the likelihood that Tehran would hit back at Israel.
A senior Israeli officer who briefed reporters on Friday said any peace agreement without a cessation of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and the surrender of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be considered a failure.
Iran’s military-backed Fars news agency had quoted a senior official as saying a return to all-out conflict was “likely”, weeks after the ceasefire was brokered. Pakistani efforts to rekindle peace talks in Islamabad, after a first round ended without agreement, have so far failed as each side set preconditions that the other refused to fulfil.
