President Trump has said the United States will “guide” commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked for two months, in an effort that he has dubbed “Project Freedom.”
But much remained uncertain after the initiative began on Monday, and Mr. Trump has given few details. Though a few ships have made it through the strait, reports of attacks from Iran have tested the four-week-old cease-fire that paused the war, and experts have questioned how many companies would try to go ahead with U.S. help.
Here’s a look at what we know, and what we don’t, about “Project Freedom.”
What is ‘Project Freedom’?
Iran has effectively blocked most commerce through the vital shipping route at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Some 1,600 ships are believed to be stranded. In addition, the U.S. Navy has imposed a blockade on ships going to or from Iran.
Mr. Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that the United States would guide ships “safely out of these restricted Waterways,” which he described as a “humanitarian gesture.” He warned that any interference would be dealt with “forcefully.”
But he said nothing about lifting the U.S. blockade. And he did not make clear on Sunday what it would mean for the United States to “guide” ships.
U.S. Central Command indicated that it would coordinate safe traffic among the ships but not directly escort any through the strait. “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,” it said.
Have any ships gotten through the strait?
Only a few.
Four ships went through on Monday, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that two commercial vessels had done so under U.S. military escort. (Before the war, around 130 vessels made the passage daily.)
Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, said a U.S.-flagged vehicle carrier operated by one of its subsidiaries had gone through the strait under the protection of the U.S. military. It was unclear what route the vessel took and how the U.S. Navy had helped its passage.
American forces on Monday shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that were threatening vessels that the U.S. Navy was guiding through the strait, according to U.S. Central Command.
No ships had gone through on Tuesday as of early evening, according to Kpler, a global maritime data company.
Is the cease-fire holding?
It’s not clear.
The Emirati authorities blamed Iran for attacks on a major oil port and an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz that injured three people. They were the first such attacks in the U.A.E. since the truce began four weeks ago. And South Korea said a Korean cargo ship caught fire after an explosion in the same area, although it did not say the vessel had been attacked.
Iran did not officially confirm or deny that it had resumed attacks. A senior Iranian military official denied on state media that its boats had been sunk.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post on Tuesday that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait. He warned of an escalation and accused the United States of violating the cease-fire.
In an interview with a conservative radio host, Hugh Hewitt, that aired on Monday, Mr. Trump declined to say whether the cease-fire was over. Mr. Hegseth on Tuesday characterized U.S. efforts to help ships through the strait as defensive and temporary and emphasized that the cease-fire was holding.
Is ‘Project Freedom’ working?
There’s no straightforward answer yet.
Even though a few ships got through, the violence has threatened the fragile truce. And Iran is not on board. “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in a social media post.
Ali Abdollahi, a top Iranian military commander, warned “all commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without coordination with the armed forces,” according to Iranian state media.
All of that worries shipping companies.
They have been reluctant to send vessels through the strait, and some said the U.S. offer was not enough to persuade them to make the trip. The companies say Iran needs to be part of any plan to move large numbers of vessels through the waterway.
