- By Ajeet Kumar
- Mon, 04 May 2026 12:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Iran warns US Navy against entering Strait of Hormuz.
- US launches 'Project Freedom' to guide stranded ships.
- Iran asserts control, calls US move ceasefire violation.
Iran warned the US Navy against entering the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from the unified command of Iran's armed forces reported by state media, after the US announced it would start an effort on Monday to free ships stranded in the waterway.
"We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces," the Iranian statement added.
Why has Iran issued a stark warning to the US?
The strong warning from Tehran came hours after US President Donald Trump said that the United States will launch an effort on Monday to "guide" stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz. His assurances were followed by two ships around the strait reporting attacks.
Trump gave few details about what could be a sweeping attempt to help hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Iran quickly denounced the move as a ceasefire violation.
Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that "neutral and innocent" countries have been affected by the Iran war, and "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".
"Project Freedom" would begin on Monday morning in the Middle East, Trump said, adding that his representatives are having discussions with Iran that could lead to something "very positive for all".
US Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. The Pentagon did not immediately answer questions about how they would be deployed.
Who is controlling Hormuz?
Iran's effective closure of the Strait, imposed after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, has shaken global markets. Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began.
Iran rejects attacks on ships
Iran denied an attack, the semiofficial Iranian outlets Fars and Tabnak reported, and said a passing ship had been stopped for a documents check as part of monitoring. Tehran "will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions," Iran's deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, said earlier Sunday.
(With inputs from agencies)