Trump Launches 'Project Freedom' to Free Hormuz Ships
On Sunday, May 3, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Project Freedom, an operation to help merchant ships safely leave the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that handles roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas. On Truth Social, Trump said the United States would guide stranded vessels out of the strait beginning Monday morning, calling it a humanitarian gesture for crews running low on food and supplies. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the mission would draw on guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members. The Guardian noted, however, that an unnamed U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal that the plan does not involve Navy warships physically escorting ships, but rather coordinating shipping traffic.
The crisis began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Tehran retaliated by closing the strait to most foreign shipping, demanding that vessels not tied to Washington or Israel pay a toll. On April 13, Trump imposed a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. The standoff has trapped more than 850 vessels and roughly 20,000 sailors in the Persian Gulf, and the U.K. Royal Navy reports that traffic through the strait has fallen more than 90 percent since the war began. Iran on Friday delivered a 14-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediators that focused on reopening the strait and lifting sanctions, but the plan reportedly avoided the central question of Iran's nuclear program. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's National Security Commission, warned that any U.S. interference in the waterway would be treated as a ceasefire violation.
The shipping disruption pushed Brent crude oil briefly above $126a barrel last week, with U.S. average gasoline prices climbing to $4.39a gallon, according to AAA (the American Automobile Association) . The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that doubled shipping costs are straining humanitarian deliveries to Sudan and Chad. Trump cautioned that any interference with Project Freedom would be dealt with forcefully, while Iranian commanders have promised painful retaliation if new U.S. strikes occur. With Trump's planned trip to China on May 14 approaching— China bought 80 percent of Iranian oil before the war— the success of Project Freedom is likely to shape both the next phase of negotiations and the global energy outlook.