{"id":10903,"date":"2026-05-05T16:32:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/us-escort-of-ships-through-hormuz-is-a-gift-to-the-world-hegseth-says\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:32:58","slug":"us-escort-of-ships-through-hormuz-is-a-gift-to-the-world-hegseth-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/us-escort-of-ships-through-hormuz-is-a-gift-to-the-world-hegseth-says\/","title":{"rendered":"US escort of ships through Hormuz is a \u2018gift to the world,\u2019 Hegseth says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Trump administration has dubbed its military effort to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz \u201cProject Freedom,\u201d Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday, calling it \u201cseparate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury,\u201d \u201cdefensive in nature,\u201d and \u201ctemporary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hegseth said that Epic Fury, the war begun in February by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, is on pause during the ongoing ceasefire, erroneously asserting that the \u201cclock stops\u201d on the 60-day limit imposed by the War Powers Resolution on U.S. military campaigns without congressional approval. Even if the U.S. is no longer dropping bombs on Iran, its continued blockade is an act of war on its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait,\u201d Hegseth said during a Pentagon press briefing.<\/p>\n

Two ships have transited the strait since escorts began Monday, Hegseth said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There remain more than 1,550 commercial ships trapped in the Arabian Gulf, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the briefing.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Iran attacked U.S. forces with cruise missiles, drones, and small boats, which were countered by U.S. Navy and Army attack helicopters, Caine said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThus far, today is quieter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hegseth and President Donald Trump have said multiple times that the rest of the world needs the strait more than the U.S. does, though the international community has deferred to the U.S., which began striking Iranian nuclear and conventional weapons facilities on Feb. 28, to take the lead in confronting Iran\u2019s closing of the strait in response to those attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I’ve said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cWe’re stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up at the appropriate time, and soon we will hand responsibility back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hegseth did not offer a timeline for that transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asked whether Iran\u2019s attacks on U.S. ships in the strait would violate the ceasefire and restart strikes within the country, Hegseth deferred to Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, the president is going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear under what legal authority the president would resume strikes against Iran. His administration has offered several rationales for the war, some of which were contradicted by available evidence.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the administration gave Congress written notice that hostilities have \u201cterminated,\u201d as the 60-day deadline for Congress to vote on an authorization of military force passed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant,\u201d Trump wrote in the letter, leaving the door open to more strikes.\n\n<\/svg><\/p>\n<\/div>\n