Trump launches Project Freedom to escort ships from Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump has promised to “free” stranded ships from the Strait of Hormuz, but he has not said how Project Freedom would work, what U.S. assets it would require, or what legal authority would support it. He said interference would be dealt with “forcefully,” yet the plan’s mechanics remain unclear as oil markets, shipping insurers and crews trapped in the waterway wait to see whether Washington is preparing a limited escort mission or a wider military commitment.

Trump said the effort would begin Monday morning in the Middle East and would guide “neutral and innocent” countries’ ships safely out of the strait. That wording suggests a narrow operation focused on getting civilian vessels out rather than reopening the route for normal commercial traffic. The White House and the U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately explain whether the Navy would be involved, how many ships might be assigned, or how U.S. forces would respond if Iranian patrols or mine-laying teams moved to block the route.

The stakes are high. The Strait of Hormuz has been largely impassable since the war between the U.S.-Israeli side and Iran began on Feb. 28, and there have been at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since then. One cargo ship near the passage was attacked by multiple small craft earlier on Sunday, though all crew members were safe. About 20% of the world’s crude oil moves through the strait, and the closures and threats have already shaken global markets and driven up oil and gasoline prices.

Hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers have been affected, with many of them coming from India and other South and Southeast Asian countries. Reports from crews in the region have described dwindling drinking water, food and other supplies as ships sit exposed in a corridor that links the Persian Gulf to the wider world economy.

Trump’s warning carries added weight because he ordered the U.S. military last month to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats laying mines in the strait, and he said Saturday that further strikes were still possible. If Iran tests Project Freedom, the result could determine not only whether stranded cargo ships move, but whether the United States is pulled deeper into a confrontation that has already turned a narrow shipping lane into a global economic pressure point.