Iran Responds to Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ in Strait of Hormuz May 4, 2026A speedboat belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps approaches British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, July 21, 2019. (AP/Tasnim News Agency/Morteza Akhoondi)(AP/Tasnim News Agency/Morteza Akhoondi)Iran Responds to Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ in Strait of HormuzIran issued a sharp warning following the launch of President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom,” with a senior commander saying any foreign military presence in the Strait of Hormuz would face a “very harsh response.”Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters commander Ali Abdollahi said Iran “maintains and powerfully manages the security of the Strait of Hormuz,” urging all commercial vessels and oil tankers not to transit the waterway without coordination with Iranian forces “so that their security is not endangered.”The warning comes as U.S. Central Command rolls out a large-scale escort operation involving naval destroyers, over 100 aircraft, unmanned systems, and roughly 15,000 personnel to guide ships through the strategic strait.