Overview
- CENTCOM, which announced Project Freedom Monday, said two U.S.-flagged cargo ships cleared the Strait of Hormuz and continued on their routes.
- The operation fields guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, a range of drones, and roughly 15,000 personnel to back commercial passage.
- Iran’s Gen. Maj. Ali Abdollahi warned that any foreign military force that approaches or enters the strait would face attack and said Iran controls the waterway.
- U.S. officials cited by Axios said Navy ships will stay nearby and share safe-route information instead of guaranteeing routine close escorts for every vessel.
- Iranian media claimed two missiles struck a U.S. warship near the strait’s entrance, a report CENTCOM denied, as UKMTO flagged critical transit conditions and mine risks that are forcing ships to plan routes with extra care.