US rebrands Iran war as Project Freedom instead of Operation Epic Fury

The US has announced a new operation in the Middle East to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

Dubbed Project Freedom, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goal was to rescue 23,000 people from 87 different countries who are trapped in the Gulf.

Claiming they had been ‘left for dead in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian regime’, he said he was reacting to the request of multiple nations to restore freedom of navigation through the strait.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to reporters yesterday and said many nations had asked the US to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently under a US blockade.

‘Under this president, under President Trump, the United States will help our friends.  We’re going to stand up to rogue regimes like the one in Tehran, and we’re going to be unashamed to use our power and our abilities to project military power in the service of our national interest, above all else,’ he said.

But Rubio’s comments about America’s ‘preferences’ in the Middle East have raised eyebrows, after he admitted the end goal was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz back to the way it was before the war.

‘Our preference is for the Strait to be open, to the way it’s supposed to be open. Back to the way it was,’ he said.

‘Anyone can use it, no mines in the water, nobody paying tolls. That’s what we have to get back to, and that’s the goal here.’

Why is Operation Epic Fury being renamed?

The US government has said Operation Epic Fury – the name for the operations in Iran – is no more.

Instead, ‘Project Freedom’ is replacing it. Some have speculated that the name change is a chance for Trump to change the narrative of the war.

Project Freedom is attempting to guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, but it could mark a fast track back into hostilities.

The new operation will involve around 15,000 military personnel, including 100 aircraft and unmanned systems and US Navy Destroyers to escort commercial shipping vessels.

But by claiming that ‘Operation Epic Fury’ is over, Trump could be justifying action in the reason, having previously said that he didn’t need Congressional authorisation for military operations, because the ceasefire was underway.

Trump did notify Congress of the conflict on March 2, which set in place a 60-day clock which ended on May 1.

The War Powers Resolution puts in place a 60-day limit, after which the President must get congressional approval to continue the war or halt it.

Project Freedom could be a way of keeping the conflict rumbling in the background without the need for Congressional approval – that is, if outright conflict doesn’t erupt again.

What’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

Rubio’s comments come as President Donald Trump said the United States will pause efforts to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to try to finalise a deal with Iran.

American forces had attempted to reopen the strait earlier this week, but Trump confirmed a US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place while talks were held.

Announcing the decision in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said he was temporarily pausing the initiative to guide ships out of the waterway for a limited time in order to give space to finalise a settlement with Iran to end the war.

Rubio has continued to insist that a ceasefire in the region was holding after the initial US military operation against Iran had concluded.

Rubio told a White House press briefing on Tuesday that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to the president’s demands on its nuclear programme and agree to reopen the Strait.

The White House has been deeply critical of the response by the UK and other allies to the Gulf crisis, insisting other nations needed the strait more than the US.

Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth recently dismissed efforts led by Britain and France to ensure the future security of the strait as ‘silly’ and said they should have ‘less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat’.

The sea route, which is a major supply line for oil and gas supplies, had been open prior to the US and Israel launching strikes against Iran.

In retaliation, Tehran effectively closed the shipping lane and started charging hefty tolls for transit, sparking a global energy crisis that has seen prices rocket.

This led the US to impose its own blockade of Iranian ports, leading to a stand-off.

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