U.S. Central Command on Tuesday flatly denied a Wall Street Journal report that the Navy has restarted an initiative to help guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the previously announced “Project Freedom” mission has not resumed.

“FALSE,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, responding to what it described as recent media claims that the U.S. Navy had restarted escorting or assisting commercial vessels during transits through the strategic waterway. “Project Freedom has not resumed, and U.S. forces are not currently escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The denial came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Navy had recently guided a Greek supertanker carrying roughly 2 million barrels of crude oil through waters off Oman, allowing the vessel to continue toward India after being stranded in the region since early March. Anadolu Agency, citing the Journal report, said the article described the move as part of a renewed U.S. effort to assist ships through the vital maritime corridor.

CENTCOM’s statement appeared aimed at drawing a distinction between any limited military activity in the area and a formal restart of Project Freedom, the U.S. initiative announced earlier this month to support merchant vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Project Freedom was announced by CENTCOM on May 3, with the command saying U.S. forces would begin supporting the mission on May 4 “to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.” At the time, CENTCOM said the mission would support merchant vessels in the “essential international trade corridor,” noting that a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade, along with significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products, passes through the strait.

The May 3 announcement said U.S. support for the mission would include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, unmanned platforms and roughly 15,000 service members. Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said then that the effort was “essential to regional security and the global economy” while the United States maintained its naval blockade.

Reuters reported Tuesday that traffic through the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, has fallen to a fraction of normal levels since the war began.

The CENTCOM denial also followed a fresh round of U.S. strikes in southern Iran. Reuters reported that the U.S. military said it struck boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, describing the operations as defensive actions intended “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” CENTCOM spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said the command was continuing to defend U.S. forces while “using restraint” during the ongoing ceasefire.

Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations over a broader deal could still take several days. According to Reuters, officials have discussed a possible memorandum of understanding that could halt the war, restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and give negotiators additional time to address Iran’s nuclear program and other unresolved issues.

For now, CENTCOM is publicly rejecting any suggestion that the U.S. Navy has formally resumed Project Freedom or is currently escorting commercial vessels through the strait, even as the U.S. military continues operating in the region amid fragile ceasefire talks and heightened concern over one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)