WSJ: "Project Freedom" to coordinate commercial shipping wthout naval escorts

The U.S.-led “Project Freedom” operation aimed at easing shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will operate as a coordination mechanism between governments, insurers, and shipping companies rather than relying on U.S. Navy escort operations, a senior U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal.

According to the official, the new framework is designed to manage maritime traffic through the critical waterway by improving coordination and risk management, without direct military escort of commercial vessels by U.S. warships.

The initiative was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on May 3 that the United States would begin helping guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. Trump said the effort would begin on the morning of May 4, Middle East time, describing it as a “humanitarian gesture” involving the United States, regional partners, and Iran, though he did not specify Tehran’s role.

The senior U.S. official said the plan does not currently include naval escorts through the strait, marking it as an “arm’s-length” approach to restoring shipping flows through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

The official also said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has recently deployed naval mines in the area, raising new risks for commercial shipping.

By Sabina Mammadli