The ceasefire reached between Iran and the US is now fraying at the seams over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most consequential shipping lanes, after President Donald Trump rejected the latest proposal from Tehran shared via Pakistan and launched “Project Freedom” to help vessels transit the vital waterway.
Tensions have further escalated after Iran carried out a drone strike on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone in the United Arab Emirates, which left three Indian nationals injured. The UAE has condemned the attack as a dangerous escalation, effectively ending the relative calm that had held since the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Oil prices are surging, while tens of thousands of sailors remain caught in the middle, waiting for what comes next.
The truce announced on April 8 was extended on April 22, but the threats and narratives are ongoing with diplomatic channels open as proposals and counterproposals are being exchanged between Washington and Tehran, as Trump warned that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they dared to target US ships in the Strait of Hormuz or anywhere across the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s response has been equally combative, both in word and in deed. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the powerful Speaker of Iran’s parliament and the man who has emerged as Tehran’s lead negotiator in this standoff, took to X to accuse Washington and its allies of having “jeopardized secure shipping and energy transportation through the violation of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade” at the strait.
“Of course, their evil will diminish,” he wrote, adding, “We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America.”
The last line, “While we have not even begun yet,” shows a direct warning that Iran has significant escalatory options it has yet to deploy.
“Project Freedom”, a sweeping military operation designed to escort stranded commercial ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The scale of the effort is staggering: approximately 15,000 US service members, guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, and a range of multi-domain unmanned platforms are all being deployed.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the operation’s scope in an official statement, calling it a comprehensive layered-defense effort to restore freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical chokepoints.
On Day One, according to the top American commander in West Asia, Admiral Bradley Cooper, the operation was a success, at least by the narrow measure of getting ships through. Two US-flagged vessels made the crossing under American military protection, CENTCOM said.
Iranian cruise missiles that targeted US Navy destroyers and the merchant ships were intercepted and shot down. Six small Iranian boats that attempted to attack the commercial vessels were sunk by US helicopters. Cooper described it as the “clinical application of defensive munitions,” telling reporters that American forces had “defeated each and every one of those threats.”
He also reported considerable optimism within the operational command, saying there was “a lot of enthusiasm” for the project from the shipping community.
Retired US Army Lieutenant General Karen Gibson, appearing on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, called Day One a “tactical success” but argued that success must be measured against a much larger benchmark: before the conflict erupted, roughly 120 vessels a day passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Getting two ships through is not restoring global commerce.
Gibson made a subtle but incisive strategic point: Iran doesn’t need to sink ships to win this phase of the conflict. It simply needs to sustain a perception of risk. “Commercial confidence is really the center of gravity,” she said, meaning that as long as shipping executives believe the strait is dangerous, most vessels will continue to avoid it — and Iran will have effectively kept Hormuz “all but closed” without firing a single additional shot.
Tim Huxley, Chairman of Mandarin Shipping, said, “The strait is still incredibly hazardous,” adding, I expect most ships will continue to avoid transit until both sides come up with something more concrete.”
Moreover, the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted a number of missiles from Iran and a large fire has broken out at a petroleum facility in the port city of Fujairah. Three Indian nationals have been injured in the attack.
The UAE Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it reserves the right to respond, while Iran said it had no premeditated plan to target the UAE.
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash has lauded “messages of solidarity” from around the world following an alleged Iranian attack on the country.
“We appreciate and value the messages of solidarity from the Gulf, Arab, and international communities with the United Arab Emirates, which condemn and denounce the treacherous Iranian attack,” Gargash said in a post on social media.
“These positions affirm that Iran is the aggressor party, responsible for exacerbating the crisis in the Arabian Gulf, and the source of danger and threat to its security and stability.”
