"Project Freedom" Launches — US Navy Escorts First Ships Through Hormuz, Destroys 7 IRGC Fast Boats — Day 67

The United States launched 'Project Freedom' on May 5, 2026 — Day 67 — deploying USS Truxtun (DDG-103) and USS Mason (DDG-87) as the lead escort destroyers for the Strait of Hormuz convoy operation. Approximately 15,000 US service members, more than 100 aircraft including F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35s, and multi-domain unmanned platforms, and multiple guided-missile destroyers entered operational posture in and around the strait. Two US-flagged commercial vessels successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz under US Navy escort in what CENTCOM described as an 'early proof of concept.' During the escort operation, the US Navy destroyed seven IRGC fast-attack craft and sank six small Iranian naval vessels that approached the convoy. Iran's IRGC fired warning shots at a US warship approaching the strait but stopped short of direct engagement with the escort force. CENTCOM described the mission as 'defensive in nature, focused in scope, temporary in duration.' Approximately 1,500 vessels with 22,500 crew members remained trapped in the Persian Gulf. Multiple merchant ships in the broader Gulf area reported explosions or fires on May 5. The operation represented the most complex US naval escort mission since the Tanker War of 1987–88, and its first hours showed Iran calibrating its response to stay below a threshold that would trigger a resumption of US airstrikes on Iranian territory.