TEHRAN - Iran has firmly asserted its military authority over the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump launched “Project Freedom,” a campaign aimed at escorting merchant vessels through the strategic waterway. The move underscores Iran’s determination to maintain full control over one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints and to respond decisively to foreign encroachment in the wake of the joint US-Israeli war that initially began in late February. 

Trump said on Sunday that the United States would “guide” stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz and warned that any interference would “be dealt with forcefully.” US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that approximately 15,000 American service members, guided-missile destroyers, and more than 100 aircraft would participate in the operation.

US warships in the crosshairs

On Monday, Iranian naval forces fired missiles and drones toward US warships approaching the Strait. In a statement, the Iranian Navy said it was compelled to launch cruise missiles, combat drones, and rockets near American vessels that had ignored repeated warnings not to approach the waterway.

According to the statement, the US warships had turned off their transponders and attempted to approach the Strait in “dark mode” before reactivating their radar systems. The Navy stressed that any unauthorized approach would constitute a violation of last month’s ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.

UAE, South Korean vessels suffer explosions

Regional tensions widened as other incidents were reported. In the UAE, Fujairah’s Media Office said a “large fire broke out” at the petroleum industrial site following a drone attack. 

Earlier, the UAE claimed that two suicide drones were launched at a tanker affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the Strait of Hormuz. 

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Seoul had received intelligence indicating that a South Korean cargo vessel anchored inside the Strait may have been struck. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that a vessel operated by the South Korean shipping company HMM — the HMM Namu — suffered an explosion and fire inside the Strait at 20:40 Korean time on Monday. 

Iran’s warning to ‘invading US army’

Earlier, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters — which coordinates joint operations between the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Army — warned that the Iranian Armed Forces would target any foreign forces, particularly US military units, attempting to approach or enter the strategic waterway.

Major General Ali Abdollahi said in a statement that Iranian forces would attack any foreign troops entering the Strait, “especially the invading American army.” He emphasized that the security of the Strait of Hormuz falls solely under Iran’s authority and that all safe passage through the waterway must be coordinated with Iranian military forces.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, an IRGC spokesman, also vowed to “forcefully stop” vessels attempting to defy the management rules enforced by Iran regarding international transit through the Strait. He dismissed as “baseless” statements made by American officials and institutions such as the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) concerning maritime governance in the Persian Gulf.

“There has been no change in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” he underlined. “Any maritime movement by civilian and commercial vessels that complies with transit protocols issued by the IRGC Navy and is carried out along designated routes in coordination with the relevant authorities will enjoy security and safety.”

UKMTO had said the United States has established an enhanced security area south of the traffic separation scheme in the Strait to support vessel transits. Ships were advised to consider routing through Omani territorial waters and to coordinate with local authorities due to expected high traffic volumes. The advisory further warned that transit near or within the traffic separation scheme could be extremely hazardous because of mines that have not yet been fully surveyed or neutralized.

Iran does not succumb to ‘threats’

Amid these developments, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman reacted to Trump’s so-called “Project Freedom,” cautioning Washington against repeating previous mistakes. During his weekly press briefing, Esmaeil Baghaei said the United States cannot “extricate itself from the self-created quagmire” of war with Iran. He added that “Americans should have learned that they cannot use the language of threats and force in dealing with the Iranian nation.”

The renewed tensions follow Iran’s confirmation that it had received the US response to its 14-point proposal aimed at bringing a permanent end to the joint US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28. Iranian and American officials held Pakistani-mediated talks in Islamabad three days after the April 8 ceasefire paused nearly 40 days of conflict. However, the talks ended without a breakthrough, and the United States subsequently imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. In response, Iran reasserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz and barred vessels affiliated with its adversaries from passing through the waterway.

The 14-point proposal is designed to break the current stalemate. It includes guarantees of non-aggression, the lifting of US sanctions and the unfreezing of Iranian assets, an end to the US naval blockade, recognition of Iran’s new management mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, the withdrawal of US forces from the region, and a complete cessation of hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon.

US ‘quagmire’ of war

Meanwhile, political pressure is mounting in Washington. US Democrats argue that the conflict with Iran has turned into a strategic quagmire for the United States. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also suggested that Washington appears to lack a clear strategy and questioned what kind of exit plan the US administration might pursue.

Public dissatisfaction in the United States has intensified. A majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict by a margin of 66 percent to 33 percent, while his overall disapproval rating has reached 62 percent — the highest of his two terms in office.

After 39 days of intense confrontation, Washington has failed to achieve its core objectives, particularly dismantling Iran’s military capabilities or reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force.

Late on Monday, the IRGC rejected US claims that merchant vessels had crossed the Strait of Hormuz as “complete lies.” It said no commercial vessels or tankers had traversed the waterway over the past few hours.

For now, Operation Freedom appears unlikely to alter the strategic balance in the waterway. Many observers argue that the initiative was launched to deflect attention from Washington’s unsuccessful military strategy and to contain rising energy prices in the United States, which have climbed since the outbreak of hostilities. It is now evident that the US will not succeed in reopening the Strait of Hormuz through the theatrical Project Freedom campaign.