Project Freedom in the Straight of Hormuz

 Iran’s navy prevents “enemy destroyers” into the Strait of Hormuz

President Trump announced that the United States will begin what he dubbed “Project Freedom” today. This operation will guide commercial vessels he described as “neutral and innocent bystanders” through the Strait of Hormuz.

In Truth Social Trump posted, “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament replied that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ceasefire.

Trump says US operation will aid ships stranded in Strait of Hormuz

By Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. would start an effort on Monday morning to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz as a “humanitarian gesture” to aid neutral countries in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Trump provided few details about the plan, which he said would aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the strait and are running low on food and other supplies as Iran blocks access through the crucial waterway.

“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.

Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

It was not immediately clear which countries the U.S. operation would aid or how the operation would work. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Trump threatened that any interference with the U.S. operation would “have to be dealt with forcefully.”

Military Times

The intent is to restore Freedom of Navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and will allow will merchant vessels to freely transit through an essential international trade corridor.

What Reuters and by extension the ever lazy Military Times missed are the ramifications of Trump’s declaring this operation a humanitarian mission. The obvious benefit is by freeing up stranded ships from neutral countries and allowing them to escape a war zone, their oil cargo will stabilize the energy market for a time without establishing full two-way traffic.

This is a savvy legal move by Trump. His 1 May War Powers letter to Congress formally ended hostilities while preserving force posture and asserting Article II constitutional authority. “Project Freedom” was announced as a humanitarian operation, not military If Iran fires on commercial shipping it is then starting a brand new conflict. Since Trump would therefore be responding defensively no new War Powers clock starts because the US did not initiate hostilities. Iran did.

Checkmate.

Category: Iran, Trump!