On Sunday, President Trump announced "Project Freedom," a mission to escort commercial vessels trapped in the Strait and restore maritime passage, according to the Wall Street Journal. Framed as a humanitarian effort to free ships and starving crews held against their will, the initiative also served as a direct tactical strike against Iran's blockade. By Monday, U.S. Central Command had advised vessels to transit Hormuz along a route near Oman — deliberately distanced from Iranian territory — after establishing what it called an "enhanced security area."
Rather than physically escorting each vessel, the U.S. military created a defensive shield using aircraft and warships operating in the region. Two U.S.-flagged commercial ships passed through Monday morning, followed by American destroyers. The Wall Street Journal reports that Admiral Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command confirmed a "free lane" had been cleared, aided by weeks of mine-removal operations in the waterway.
Iran's response was swift and aggressive. State media initially claimed strikes on a U.S. warship — a claim quickly denied by Central Command — after which Tehran revised its account, describing the fire as "warning shots." Iran had more tangible success against commercial shipping: an empty Emirati tanker was struck by drones and a South Korean vessel suffered an explosion and fire inside the Strait. Trump confirmed the South Korean attack and pointedly invited Seoul to join the coalition mission.
Admiral Cooper reported that U.S. forces intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones, and destroyed six Iranian small attack boats. As the WSJ notes, Trump put the number at seven, dismissing the vessels as "all they have left." The United Arab Emirates said it engaged 15 Iranian missiles — reportedly with Israeli Iron Dome assistance — but still suffered a drone strike on its Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, a critical pipeline terminal the Emirates uses to bypass the Strait entirely.
The strategic logic behind Iran's aggression is clear. The blockade of Gulf oil shipments remains Tehran's most potent economic weapon — a lever it can pull to inflict pain on global markets and pressure Trump into concessions, including an end to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and, ultimately, acceptance of Iranian nuclear enrichment. Losing control of the Strait would leave the regime dangerously outmaneuvered.
More commercial ships are reportedly en route to exit behind the U.S. defensive shield, which will benefit Gulf allies and the buyers of their energy exports. But a purely defensive posture may prove insufficient. Even a handful of successful Iranian strikes can deter commercial traffic and undermine the entire operation. Direct naval escorts may soon be necessary.
Trump has warned that Iran will be "blown off the face of the earth" if it attacks U.S. vessels — words the Wall Street Journal says signal that escalation is both merited and necessary. The UAE has made clear it does not want these attacks to go unanswered, and its capable air force could play a meaningful role. Ultimately, however, the U.S. and Israel will need to lead any offensive response.
The Wall Street Journal's Editorial Board argued that Trump should use America's military advantage to force open the Strait and accelerate the shutdown of Iranian oil production, noting that "the Iranians have fired the first shots to end the cease-fire" — providing, the Journal argues, all the justification the President needs to act decisively.
The President has shown resolve where others have hesitated. The next move — whether to absorb Iranian provocations or strike back and permanently reopen one of the world's most vital waterways — will define both his foreign policy legacy and the future of Persian Gulf security.