U.S. Central Command statement on Project Freedom and the maritime situation in the Strait of Hormuz, May 4, 2026
Project Freedom Launches
President Donald Trump announced Project Freedom on May 4, presenting the operation as a humanitarian effort to extract hundreds of commercial vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf since Iran began enforcing its closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The mission deploys US Navy destroyers, around 15,000 troops, and aircraft, according to figures Blic reported from CENTCOM communications.
US Central Command stated that no American vessel had been struck and that its forces were enforcing a maritime blockade of Iranian ports while supporting the escort mission. The CENTCOM post on X coincided with conflicting reports from Tehran.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking ahead of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, said France would not participate in Project Freedom and urged Washington and Tehran to reopen Hormuz jointly through diplomacy. His remarks, reported by BFM TV, marked the clearest distance any major European power has taken from the US-led naval response so far.
Iranian Strike Claim and CENTCOM Denial
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that two missiles struck a US warship near Jask island on the Iranian coast. The Iranian Navy said the vessel had ignored repeated warnings, violated security and navigation rules in the area, and withdrew after being hit. Iranian state outlets did not name the ship or release imagery.
A senior US official told Axios the claim was false. CENTCOM publicly denied that any American vessel had been struck. The denial came hours after the Fars report circulated on Iranian state media and pro-Tehran Telegram channels.
The competing accounts could not be independently verified at the time of publication. No third party, including UKMTO, reported damage to a military vessel.
Tanker Hit Off UAE Coast
UK Maritime Trade Operations issued an alert that a tanker was struck by unidentified projectiles off the UAE coast inside the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters relayed the UKMTO notice, which reported no injuries to the crew and no marine pollution. The tanker’s name and flag were not disclosed.
The incident is the second confirmed civilian shipping strike in the strait this week. Hundreds of commercial vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf, and Thailand and China have publicly asked for help freeing their ships.
Diplomatic Track Stalls
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran received Washington’s response to Iran’s 14-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediation and is reviewing it. Trump told reporters the proposal is not acceptable and described the operation as proceeding excellently.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry separately confirmed that 22 crew members from the Iranian container ship Touska, seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman last month near Chabahar, were evacuated to Pakistan. Islamabad described the move as a confidence-building measure ahead of any further talks. The crew is expected to return to Iran after the ship is repaired.
Israel would not exist without me and Bibi Netanyahu. You need a prime minister who can focus on the war, not on nonsense.
Lebanon Front
Hezbollah fired an anti-tank guided missile overnight at Israeli Defense Forces troops operating in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. No injuries were reported. The strike is the latest in a slow tempo of Hezbollah harassment fire that has continued since the Iran war opened in late February, even as the Israel-Lebanon track remains nominally separate from the main Iran theater.
Markets
Oil prices rose sharply on the morning’s headlines, with Brent breaking $110 per barrel, before stabilizing as traders waited for operational details on Project Freedom and any further Iranian response. Brent settled at $110.40 and US WTI at $103.73 in early afternoon European trading. Insurance rates for Gulf traffic remain elevated and shipping companies are continuing to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope where possible.
