dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

'Project Freedom' Aims to Get Thousands of Commercial Ships Safely Through Strait of Hormuz

Iran has blocked safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf for commercial cargo and tanker vessels, trapping thousands inside the gulf and halting the free flow of commerce in the region.

Project Freedom is meant to reopen the strait to commercial vessels, said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during a briefing today at the Pentagon. It is also independent of Operation Epic Fury, which for now is in a ceasefire.

"President [Donald J.] Trump has directed U.S. Central Command to restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz under the umbrella of Project Freedom," Hegseth said. "Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope, temporary in duration [and] with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression."

The secretary said as part of Project Freedom, American forces won't need to enter Iranian waters or airspace; but also, that Iran can no longer be allowed to stymie international commerce.

"Iran … cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway," Hegseth said. "Iran is the clear aggressor, harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately and weaponizing a critical choke point for its own financial benefit."

Already, Hegseth said, two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have traversed the strait, proving that Iranian control of the strait is an illusion.

"We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact," he said. "They said they control the strait — they do not. So, American ships led the way, commercial and military, shouldering the initial risk from the front — as Americans always do. Right now, hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit."

https://x.com/DeptofWar/status/2051713948139860241