The United States and Iran have moved to the brink of renewed full-scale conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes, after Washington launched a military-backed operation to free hundreds of ships trapped by Iran's blockade. Announced by President Donald Trump on Sunday on his Truth Social platform as "Project Freedom," the operation prompted sharp Iranian warnings, claimed missile strikes, and a wave of attacks on commercial vessels and Gulf energy infrastructure.
Trump declared that the US would use "best efforts" to guide stranded commercial vessels through the strait via a southern route through Omani territorial waters, deploying guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, drones and approximately 15,000 troops. US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said American forces had destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as the operation got under way. Iran's military command responded forcefully: Major General Ali Abdollahi warned that any foreign armed force — "especially the aggressive US army" — approaching the strait would be attacked, and IRGC-affiliated media claimed two missiles had struck a US warship near the Iranian port of Jask. The US military flatly denied that any of its vessels had been hit.
The day's violence extended well beyond the strait itself. The UAE reported that its forces intercepted three Iranian missiles over its waters, with a fourth falling into the sea, while a drone attack originating from Iran struck the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone — a critical hub for UAE crude exports — injuring three Indian nationals. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy also published a map claiming expanded zones of control near the strait, encompassing the UAE ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan. Separately, Trump confirmed that a South Korean cargo ship operated by major Korean shipping company HMM had been struck by an explosion, with no casualties among its 24 crew members. He used the incident to call on Seoul to join the operation, pointing out that South Korea relies heavily on the strait for energy imports.
The backdrop is a war that began on 28 February with a US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, followed by a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire on 8 April that halted large-scale fighting but left the strait blockaded and some 850 ships with around 20,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf. Inside Iran, authorities are mobilising for a potentially prolonged conflict, reconstituting missile and drone capabilities and running a mass public campaign called "Jan Fadaa" — meaning willingness to sacrifice — which the government claims has over 31 million registered members, a figure that independent analysts dispute. A near-total internet shutdown affecting more than 90 million Iranians remains in place.
International reaction to Project Freedom has been cautious. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that reopening the strait required coordinated agreement between Washington and Tehran, and declined to participate in what he called an "unclear" military framework. Shipping executives echoed that caution: one senior industry figure noted that Iran had previously declared any unapproved transit a ceasefire violation. An Indian tanker captain stranded in the Gulf put it starkly, warning that no ship would attempt to exit without solid guarantees of safety. Iran's foreign ministry, meanwhile, confirmed it was reviewing the latest US negotiating text relayed through Pakistan but called for a more "realistic" approach, insisting that a full end to the war remains its only priority at the negotiating table.