LIVE | WAR IN THE GULF: Trump Launches "Project Freedom" to Break Iran's Blockade | N18G

Mr. Trump announced his new “Project Freedom” mission on social media overnight to enable stuck ships to travel through the strait.
U.S. President Donald ​Trump launched a new operation on Monday (May 4, 2026) seeking to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, prompting Iran to lash out in an effort to keep control of the critical ‌energy shipping route.

A handful of commercial vessels were reported to have been hit and a UAE oil port was ablaze ​after an Iranian strike as Mr. Trump’s attempt to use the U.S. Navy to free up shipping provoked the war’s biggest escalation since ⁠a ceasefire was declared four weeks ago. The U.S. said it destroyed six small Iranian boats.

Mr. Trump announced his new “Project Freedom” mission on social media overnight to enable stuck ships to travel through the strait, the first apparent attempt to make use of naval power to unblock the world’s most important energy shipping route.

But the gamble, at least initially, appeared to have backfired, ‌bringing no surge of merchant ship traffic while provoking a show of force from Iran, which has threatened to respond to any escalation with new attacks on its neighbours.

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