Two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to U.S. Central Command, as the Trump administration launched operations to reopen the waterway to maritime traffic despite Iranian threats that doing so would violate the ceasefire that halted fighting nearly a month ago as the sides seek a longer-term agreement.
“American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping,” Central Command said in a statement posted to X.
Iran renewed threats against vessels operating in the strait on Monday after Iranian officials said over the weekend that U.S. attempts to “interfere” with Tehran’s “management” of the strait would qualify as a ceasefire violation.
“Iranian Armed Forces will attack any foreign force, particularly the U.S. military, if it attempts to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz,” said Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, a senior Iranian commander, according to a statement reported by Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency on Monday.
The United Arab Emirates on Monday accused Iran of a drone attack on a tanker affiliated with its state oil company, ADNOC, according to a UAE Foreign Ministry statement. The statement said the tanker was empty at the time.
Reopening the strait — a vital chokepoint for oil and gas shipments through which Iran has slowed traffic to a trickle, causing severe disruptions to the global economy — has been a central issue in the weeks of negotiations between Iran and the United States since they agreed to a ceasefire on April 7. The two sides have exchanged a number of proposals and held face-to-face talks in Pakistan, but they have failed to bridge considerable differences on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program. Further complicating matters, Iran has insisted on using its control over the strait as leverage to demand the unfreezing of assets and war reparations.
Iran mined parts of the strait after the U.S. and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on the country in late February. Since then, a handful of vessels have been allowed to transit, but they are required to coordinate with Iran, which has begun demanding tolls. Others have come under attack. Tehran has largely shut the waterway to traffic, cutting off roughly a fifth of global energy supplies, leading to energy shortages in many countries and skyrocketing prices elsewhere. The U.S. responded last month by placing an embargo on Iranian ports.
Two U.S. destroyers moved through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Central Command, followed shortly after by two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels. A U.S. official said the destroyers were not “escorting” the vessels and were instead moving through the strait to clear it for traffic.
The Trump administration said over the weekend that it was moving forward with further military action to reopen the strait, including an effort between the State Department and international partners to increase information sharing on security in the waterway.
Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday that action is “meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance.”
The U.S. military mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, named “Project Freedom,” includes guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 Navy and Air Force warplanes, drones, satellite imagery and more than 15,000 personnel, Central Command said Monday.
A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Two aircraft carriers and a host of warships are intercepting commercial vessels that have visited Iranian ports or are carrying Iranian oil or cargo. The Navy says it has turned around or stopped 48 vessels, including firing on one to disable it when it tried to get past the blockade.
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