US Central Command has said forces will begin supporting Project Freedom to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The mission, directed by the president, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertiliser products are transported through the strait,” it said in a post on X.

“US 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,” it said.