CENTCOM to deploy naval, air assets for ‘Project Freedom’ in Hormuz

US officials say Donald Trump did not announce a naval escort mission in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Wall Street Journal.

The officials described “Project Freedom”—earlier referred to as the Maritime Freedom Construct—as a coordination cell designed to guide US-flagged and other vessels through safe navigation lanes.

The initiative would identify routes free of threats such as mines, rather than involve direct military escort of ships through the waterway.

The clarification follows Trump’s earlier announcement, which had suggested a more active US role in securing passage through the strategic strait.

An Iranian lawmaker warned that any US move to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a violation of the ceasefire, reacting to Donald Trump’s announced plan.

Ebrahim Azizi, a member of parliament’s national security commission, said “any intervention by the Americans in the new maritime order of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a breach of the ceasefire.”

“The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf are not a place for rhetoric,” he added in a post on X.

An Iranian academic with close ties to the leadership warned that no vessels would be allowed to exit the Persian Gulf without authorization from Iran’s armed forces, following Donald Trump’s announcement of a US plan to escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mohammad Marandi said ships would require Iranian approval to leave the region, adding: “Only a fool would attempt to ignore an Iranian warning.”

His remarks point to a direct clash in messaging over control of shipping routes, as Washington moves to guide vessels through the strategic waterway while Tehran signals it intends to assert authority over passage.

Friedrich Merz said Germany remains closely aligned with the United States and shares Washington’s core objective that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons.

“The United States is and will remain Germany’s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance,” Merz said in a post on X, adding: “We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.”

His remarks come amid visible strain in transatlantic relations over the war and diplomacy with Iran, even as both sides continue to emphasize the importance of coordination within NATO.

Proposals aimed at de-escalation have been exchanged in recent weeks, according to officials on both sides, but the gap between Washington and Tehran remains wide, with core disagreements unresolved.

Hardline cleric and MP Mahmoud Nabavian said Iran would escalate sharply if attacked again.

“If the United States launches another attack, Iran would strike residential areas housing kings and heads of state in Arab countries” south of the Persian Gulf, he said, while also urging President Donald Trump to “admit defeat.”

In contrast, liberal cleric and human-rights lawyer Mohsen Rohami argued that those opposing negotiations with Washington should be held accountable for the human and material toll of the war.

While ultraconservatives insist Iran must not negotiate, Rohami said “people in the streets of Iran are not opposed to negotiations,” casting diplomacy as both a public demand and a strategic necessity at a time when the costs of war are mounting.

The divide extends beyond the clergy. Hardline MP Ali Khezrian said Iran “will certainly support the war” and has chosen to halt talks with Washington, adding that even indirect messaging through media or intermediaries should stop.

Rohami pushed back, warning lawmakers against presenting personal views as state policy. Decisions on negotiations, he said, rest with Iran’s leadership and are coordinated through the Supreme National Security Council and senior state bodies.

“The decision to negotiate is supported by the nation,” he said in remarks to Khabar Online.

He described Iran’s military actions as defensive but warned that the damage from a prolonged conflict could take years to repair. Steel plants, refineries and major electricity and gas infrastructure have been hit, he said, adding that much of Iran’s industrial base was built over the past century.

“Peace is the norm, and war is the exception,” Rohami said, cautioning that public mobilization in support of the state cannot be sustained indefinitely. “Their presence does not mean they oppose negotiations or agreements.”

A separate commentary on the Asr Iran website identified four “strategic mistakes” by hardliners, including underestimating US and Israeli power and focusing on the enemy’s losses rather than Iran’s own costs.

It also warned against portraying Western adversaries as internally collapsing, arguing that political divisions in democracies tend to narrow in wartime.

If such miscalculations shape decision-making, the commentary said, Iran risks losing both its current position and its chance to bring the conflict to a favorable end..