President Donald Trump declared yesterday that he will be halting “Project Freedom,” the military initiative to assist vessels through the Strait of Hormuz that commenced earlier this week.
Here’s an overview of how the operation unfolded — and was suddenly halted:
On Sunday, Trump revealed the military initiative, stating that “Nations from around the globe, nearly all of which are not engaged in the Middle Eastern conflict” had requested the US to release ships “trapped” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Soon after, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the initiative would feature guided-missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft from land and sea, and 15,000 military personnel.
On Monday, a senior Iranian military leader cautioned that “any foreign military entity, particularly the invading American forces” would face attack if they attempted to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz. Later in the day, the state news organization IRNA reported that Iran’s navy stopped the ingress of “enemy destroyers” into the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM rejected assertions from Iranian state media that an American ship was hit by Iranian missiles close to the waterway and confirmed that two US-flagged merchant ships had passed through the strait without incident. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran refuted this.
Adm. Bradley Cooper, the head of US Central Command, informed reporters on Monday that the US military “destroyed” six small Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran fired “numerous cruise missiles, drones, and small boats” at US Navy vessels and at commercial ships being “guarded” by the US military.
Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that the ceasefire between the US and Iran was “not finished,” despite both parties having fired shots the previous day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the military operation initiated in February against Iran had concluded, indicating that the US focus now was on reestablishing access to the Strait of Hormuz. He also mentioned that several nations had shown readiness to back “Project Freedom.”
In a post on Truth Social last night, Trump stated that the US would temporarily halt its operation, noting that “great progress” had been achieved in negotiations with Iran.
Xenix News reporters Isabelle D’Antonio, Natasha Bertrand, Laura Sharman, Tim Lister, Michael Williams, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zachary Cohen, Aileen Graef, and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this coverage.
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