Is Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz about to be broken?
Or, perhaps, are hostilities about to erupt again?
It could be both. In any of these cases, the gridlock is about to be broken come tomorrow morning.
Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. will begin escorting foreign ships out of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday under “Project Freedom,” describing it as a humanitarian effort to assist neutral vessels affected by the conflict, and warning that any interference with… pic.twitter.com/74NW2KfuAY
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 3, 2026
Trump is positioning this move as something short of establishing full and open navigation of the Strait, but rather as a humanitarian mission to free up stranded sailors and ships from neutral countries that are just trying to escape a war zone.
The US will start guiding ships out of the Strait of Hormuz from Monday morning (Middle East Time), according to a Sunday statement by US President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social.
“This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time. I am fully aware that my representatives are having very positive discussions with the country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” he said in the statement.
According to Trump, the operation will be centered on helping the vessels leave the Persian Gulf, with countries asking “the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait.”
“They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders! For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, 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.
According to his statement, the ships to be escorted out “will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation,” and he calls the operation a “humanitarian process” to save the crews of ships trapped in the Gulf.
This is an interesting strategy. It will enable hundreds of ships to leave the area, presumably laden with their cargo, stabilizing the oil market for a time, without establishing full two-way traffic and normalization. No doubt that is the goal, but it gives Iran significant wiggle room to look the other way while negotiations carry on.
Trump insists that they are, but one should never take anything Trump says in a negotiation at face value. Negotiations are entirely about persuasion, and Trump never lays all his cards on the table.
🇺🇸 TRUMP UPDATE:
Thank you for your attention to this matter! pic.twitter.com/I0lnK0BDbN
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) May 3, 2026
This is a really bold move, as it would entail, one would assume, US Naval vessels going into dangerous waters with a hostile enemy that has vowed to keep us out. With all the talk of mines, suicide dolphins, and presumably a significant supply of drones and perhaps ship-killer missiles, the risk he is assuming is high.
Modern naval vessels, aside from aircraft carriers, are not designed to withstand much damage, but rather to prevent threats from reaching them. They may still be quite hard to sink, but mission kills are much easier than in the past. A destroyer would be a very tempting target for Iran.
If all Iran has are speedboats that can swarm, the US likely has the capacity to repel even a significant number of them with our combined air power and a destroyer’s defensive capabilities. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine that a salvo of 5 supersonic ship killer missiles wouldn’t have a decent chance of hitting a ship.
So what does Trump know that we don’t? Is this a sign that there may be more progress on negotiations and that this is a test of Iran’s good faith, or a high-risk, high-reward gamble? Are the mines cleared, or perhaps an unconventional route through the Strait plotted?
The stakes are high, and the risk significant. Tomorrow should be a very interesting day.
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