President Trump has announced the next phase of the plan that the United States is using to force Iran to its economic knees: Project Freedom.

The plan? The United States Navy will be “supporting” ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And if Iran tries to mess with the boats, then that is on their heads.

This move that Trump called “Project Freedom” is the most significant step by his administration to try and reopen the key strait since Iran shut it down early in the war.

While Trump claims the move is “humanitarian,” it is a clear U.S. challenge to Tehran’s effort to control the strait. An Iranian military response could spark a confrontation or even an escalation back to war.

The new Hormuz Strait initiative will not necessarily include U.S. Navy ships escorting commercial ships, according to two American officials.

One of the officials said U.S. Navy ships will be “in the vicinity” in case they need to prevent Iran’s military from attacking commercial ships moving through the strait.

The officials said the U.S. navy is going to provide commercial ships with information on the best maritime lanes in the strait especially when it comes to using lanes that were not mined by the Iranian military.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that countries from around the world that are not involved in the war but have ships stuck in the strait have asked the U.S. to help free them.

Many of these ships are running low on food and other supplies for their crews and suffer from health and sanitary problems, Trump said.

‘The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance. This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran,” Trump said.

“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” he added.

“If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

This does, indeed, put the ball in Iran’s court. Either they let the ships through without trying to extort a fee, or they end up tangling with the Navy. As one can imagine, Iran was not happy.

The Iranians responded by warning that any ships attempting to pass through the waterway must coordinate with them first, and that any effort to force open the strait would be resisted.

“We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive US military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” Maj. Gen. Pilot Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB.

Iran then claimed that they had attacked an American ship, but then changed their tune when CENTCOM asked what they were talking about.

The semiofficial Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), initially claimed an unidentified US ship was hit by two missiles near the port of Jask, southeast of the strait, after ignoring orders to halt.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied the claim on social media, saying on X: “No US Navy ships have been struck. US forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”

A senior Iranian official then told Reuters that Tehran had fired a warning shot and that it was unclear whether the warship had been damaged.

If the strait is once again safe to navigate, and Iran is so helpless to actually do anything about it, then Iran is finished. And they know that. All they need to do is score one lucky hit and they can at least scare other countries into either paying them a toll to go through, or not use the strait at all. And two ships have indeed made it through the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM.

U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom. American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping. As a first step, 2 U.S.-flagged merchant… pic.twitter.com/SVDxDhK72I

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 4, 2026

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper is informing the press that they are reaching out to countries who want to move ships through the strait, and encouraging them to do so. And to prove the point, the Navy then took out six of Iran’s small swift boats – but also said that this was proof that Iran can’t muster much of a response to Project Freedom.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told reporters in a press call that while Iran historically has deployed “between 20 and 40 small boats” to threaten commercial shipping in the strait, “Today, we saw just six and eliminated them quickly.”

“We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the strait, including 864 Apache and MH 60 Seahawk helicopters,” said Cooper, emphasizing that Iran’s military capability has been “dramatically degraded.”

President Trump then issued an even more ominous warning.

President Donald Trump says Iran will be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they attack U.S. vessels carrying out Project Freedom.

Trump made the comments during an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst on Monday, adding that he believes Iran has become “much more malleable” in peace negotiations.

The president also emphasized that U.S. military buildup in the region is continuing.

“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump said. “We have the best equipment. We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases all over the world. They’re all stocked up with equipment. We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”

President Trump issues a new warning to Iran if they attack U.S. vessels implementing "Project Freedom."

“They’ll be blown off the face of the earth," he told me. pic.twitter.com/2hhK6pUPCH

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 4, 2026

Iran is on the verge of financial ruin and has lost so much offensive capability that it would be suicide to not be “much more malleable” when talking to President Trump about peace. However, as we know, that conversation is completely dependent on WHO is on the other end of the phone line with Trump. If IRGC head Ahmed Vahidi is on the line, or one of his mouthpieces, then the odds that the Islamic regime, now completely controlled by the military, decides to pursue peace is almost nil. Vahidi and the IRCG are almost certain to prefer going out with a bang, rather than laying down arms or surrendering enriched uranium to secure peace. But if they can’t muster enough men or materiel to close the Strait of Hormuz on their terms, while they are economically spiraling at the same time, then they have lost this round to President Trump. And both sides know that.

President Trump is acting from a position of strength. Iran is acting out of desperation. The rest of the world is watching, and while they desperately want to get ships through the strait, they are all watching each other to see which one of them (other than the United States) will dare to go first. An elaborate game of chicken is being enacted in the Strait of Hormuz. We shall have to see who has the courage to make a move.

Featured image: President Donald Trump on March 5, 2026, official White House photo by Daniel Torok on the White House Flickr account, cropped, public domain