Two American-flagged merchant ships made it through the Strait of Hormuz, the US military announced Monday, the first indication that the Trump administration was restoring the flow of shipping traffic in the crucial waterway.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the vessels were “safely headed on their journey” and called the successful transit “a first step” in “restor[ing] transit for commercial shipping.”
“US Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom,” the Tampa, Fla.-based command added on X, using President Trump’s name for the initiative he announced Sunday evening.
In order to help the estimated 2,000 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf by Iran’s attacks and threats, Trump ordered the US military to begin escorting neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning.
There are an estimated 20,000 seafarers trapped in the waters around the Strait of Hormuz who were running low on supplies due to the war in Iran, according to United Nations officials.
“The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
While the US says two American ships successfully made it through the strait, reports emerged that a South Korean ship suffered “external impact” from a projectile or sea mine while trying to get through the waterway, local media reported.
The attack had led to a fire on the South Korean bulk carrier, a spokesman for the Seoul-based shipping firm HMM told Reuters.
Iran has repeatedly warned that any ship that fails to pay a toll and prove that it is not affiliated with the US or Israel will be attacked if they try to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claimed that it had fired at US warships operating in the strait on Monday, with two missiles allegedly hitting a US vessel in the waterway.
The US military, however, denied the claims from the semi-official Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“No US Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said.
With Post Wires
