The White House disputed reports that a lack of Gulf State support for Project Freedom, the administration’s plan to have the U.S. Navy guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, prompted President Donald Trump to pause the initiative.
Trump announced Project Freedom over the weekend but called it off by Tuesday evening, claiming that he did so because they have made “great progress” toward a deal, adding that it was also “based on the request of Pakistan and other Country.”
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On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait lifted restrictions on the U.S. military’s use of their bases and airspace, and in turn, the president could seek to restart Project Freedom.
“There was never a restriction or a ban to begin with, that is fake news,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner.
During the brief time the U.S. Navy carried out Project Freedom, Iran targeted both American commercial and Navy vessels, while also targeting the United Arab Emirates.
Iran attacked nine commercial vessels, seized two commercial tankers, and carried out more than 10 attacks against U.S. forces, while U.S. helicopters destroyed six small Iranian boats that were threatening commercial ships in and around the strait, according to defense officials.
Emirati authorities confirmed at least one successful drone attack that ignited a fire at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, which is the UAE’s major oil port in the Gulf of Oman. The country’s defense ministry said it intercepted 12 ballistic, three cruise missiles, and four drones.
Despite those attacks, both Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said neither rose to the level of having violated the April 7 U.S-Iran ceasefire agreement. Caine said the attacks remain “below the threshold” of what would push them to restart “major combat operations at this point.”
The short-lived initiative relied on a wide array of U.S. military capabilities to provide a clear intelligence picture.
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Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Monday, “There’s no specific escort. If I just described this overall, if you’re escorting a ship, you’re planning kind of one-on-one, I think we have a much better defensive arrangement in this process where we have multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare, and we have a much broader defensive package than you would have ever if you’re just escorting.”
The U.S. Navy has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports even as Project Freedom was paused.
U.S. forces fired at and disabled the M/T Hasna on Wednesday, after the crew on board refused to comply with American orders.
