US launches mission to break Gulf blockade

Washington: The United States has launched a military mission to break what it calls Iran’s blockade of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, deploying warships and aircraft to escort vessels through one of the world’s most critical oil routes.

US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth said the operation, dubbed “Project Freedom”, was ordered by President Donald Trump to “restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.”

He described the mission as “defensive in nature, focused in scope, and temporary in duration, with one mission, protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression.”

Hegseth said US forces would avoid entering Iranian waters or airspace, adding, “We’re not looking for a fight.” But he stressed that Iran “cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway.”

He accused Tehran of “harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately and weaponising a critical choke point,” calling it “a form of international extortion.”

Two US-flagged commercial ships, escorted by American destroyers, have already passed through the strait, demonstrating that “the lane is clear,” he said, adding that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit.”

Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said Iran had “repeatedly threatened and attacked commercial shipping” over the past seven weeks to “effectively cut off commercial traffic and damage the global economy.”

He noted that the strait carries “approximately one fifth of the global oil consumption,” underscoring its importance to global markets.

According to the Pentagon, more than 22,500 mariners aboard over 1,550 commercial vessels remain stranded in the region as a result of Iranian actions.

Caine said Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times since a ceasefire was announced, seized two container ships and attacked US forces more than ten times, though “all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.”

The US has deployed over 15,000 personnel, along with guided-missile destroyers, helicopters and more than 100 aircraft, to establish a protected corridor for shipping.

Hegseth said the US had created a “red, white and blue dome” over the strait, providing round-the-clock protection for vessels, and warned that any attack would trigger “overwhelming and devastating American firepower.”

Despite recent exchanges of fire, he said “the ceasefire is not over” and urged Iran to act “prudently” to avoid escalation.

He also called on US allies to step in, saying, “The world needs this waterway a lot more than we do,” and that Washington expects partners to assume responsibility over time.

IANS