‘Ceasefire is not over,’ Hegseth says as U.S. acts to reopen Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON— The United States has launched a new military operation to ensure the safe passage of commercial shipping ships through the Strait of Hormuz, deploying scores of warships, fighter jets and drones to counter Iranian efforts that threaten the narrow waterway that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil.
The new initiative, called “Project Freedom,” is a temporary, defensive operation aimed at restarting traffic flow through the international waterway while fighting continues in the region, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
While Hegseth called Iran’s tactics “international extortion,” he said, “We are not looking for a fight, but Iran cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from the international waterway.”
The operation comes nearly a month after the United States reached a fragile ceasefire agreement with Iran; That ceasefire remains in effect even though Tehran continues to attack U.S. forces and merchant ships, Hegseth said.
“The ceasefire is not over yet,” Hegseth said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that since the ceasefire took effect, Iran has fired on commercial ships nine times, seized two container ships and attacked US forces more than 10 times. He said all of these examples were “below the threshold for resuming major combat operations at this point.”
These attacks left more than 1,550 ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to transit, disrupting global trade and throwing energy markets into crisis, fuel prices soaring and shipping costs soaring.
The new US mission is designed to be separate from the broader military campaign regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Caine said that while negotiations to denuclearize Iran continue, commercial ships wishing to cross the strait will now “see, hear and clearly feel the US combat power around them, at sea, in the skies and on the radio.”
Two U.S. merchant ships escorted by Navy destroyers have already passed through the Bosphorus, Hegseth said.
“We know that Iranians are embarrassed by this fact,” Hegseth said. “They said they checked the throat, but they don’t.”
Hegseth described the operation, which aims to restart traffic through one of the world’s most vital waterways, as “a direct gift from the United States to the world.”
“As for what remains of Iranian forces: If you attack American troops or innocent merchant ships, you will face overwhelming and devastating American firepower,” Hegseth said. “The President spoke very clearly on this issue.”
On Tuesday evening local time, the UAE defense ministry said on channel X that the country’s defense systems were “actively engaged in missile and UAV threats, and the sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing combat operations.”
Tuesday’s barrage marks the second consecutive day of attacks targeting the UAE since the US-Iran ceasefire came into force on April 8. On Monday, the UAE said it opened fire on a total of 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
Iran said it had “no pre-planned program” to attack the UAE’s oil facilities, but that the attacks were motivated by US plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to an unnamed military official quoted by Iranian State TV.
“What happened was the product of the adventurism of the US military to create a passage for ships to pass illegally through the Bosphorus,” the official said, adding that the US military “must be held accountable for this.”
Ceballos reported from Washington, Bulos from Beirut.
