Project Freedom appears to be aimed, at least for now, at evacuating ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war with Iran began.
US Central Command said its new plan to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz kicked off Monday with the safe passage of two U.S.-flagged merchant ships. Dubbed Project Freedom, the operation is designed to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping” through this strategically vital body of water, the command stated on X.
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As part of Project Freedom, vessels “choosing to transit the Strait of Hormuz should consider routing via Oman territorial waters south of the Traffic Separation Scheme,” U.S. Navy Central (NAVCENT) cautioned Monday morning. The Traffic Separation Scheme refers to new traffic patterns Iran set up for ships transiting the Strait through its territorial waters.
“Due to anticipated traffic volume, coordination with Oman authorities via VHF channel 16 is advised to maintain safety of navigation,” according to NAVCENT. “Transit via or in close proximity to the Traffic Separation Scheme should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”
While CENTCOM says Project Freedom has a successful first encounter, there are still many questions to be answered about this operation. Despite Iranian bluster, it is unknown so far if its threats are just posturing for domestic consumption or if they will really fire on U.S. warships. Such a move would guarantee a ferocious U.S. response and an end, at least temporarily, the ongoing moves to stop the now-paused war.
US Central Command said its new plan to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz kicked off Monday with the safe passage of two U.S.-flagged merchant ships. Dubbed Project Freedom, the operation is designed to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping” through this strategically vital body of water, the command stated on X.
First Ships Transit Strait Of Hormuz Under New U.S. Protection Plan
Project Freedom appears to be aimed, at least for now, at evacuating ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war with Iran began.
As part of Project Freedom, vessels “choosing to transit the Strait of Hormuz should consider routing via Oman territorial waters south of the Traffic Separation Scheme,” U.S. Navy Central (NAVCENT) cautioned Monday morning. The Traffic Separation Scheme refers to new traffic patterns Iran set up for ships transiting the Strait through its territorial waters.
“Due to anticipated traffic volume, coordination with Oman authorities via VHF channel 16 is advised to maintain safety of navigation,” according to NAVCENT. “Transit via or in close proximity to the Traffic Separation Scheme should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”
While CENTCOM says Project Freedom has a successful first encounter, there are still many questions to be answered about this operation. Despite Iranian bluster, it is unknown so far if its threats are just posturing for domestic consumption or if they will really fire on U.S. warships. Such a move would guarantee a ferocious U.S. response and an end, at least temporarily, the ongoing moves to stop the now-paused war.