WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz as American forces are assisting efforts to restore commercial shipping transit through the strategic waterway, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday.
U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Persian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom, the Command wrote in a post on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States will begin guiding ships out of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, describing the move, named Project Freedom, as a "humanitarian gesture."
"U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members," CENTCOM said on social media later on Sunday.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps later rejected the U.S. claims, saying that "no commercial vessels or oil tankers" have transited the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports by semi-official Tasnim News Agency. ■
