President Donald Trump over the weekend teased a potential relaunch of his short-lived military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, dubbing the effort “Project Freedom Plus.”
He added that hostilities could resume this week should both sides fail to make progress on a final deal.
The president suspended the initial operation Tuesday as part of an effort to promote negotiations on a permanent truce between the U.S. and Iran. On Sunday, Iran said via state-run media that it had responded to a single-page peace proposal memo sent by the Trump administration — but Trump almost immediately dismissed the country’s demands.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called “Representatives.” I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday afternoon.
Trending
It’s the latest in a series of stop-start negotiation efforts that have come to define the administration’s approach to the conflict.
“We may go back to Project Freedom if things don’t happen, but it’ll be Project Freedom Plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn Saturday.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright also backed Trump’s plans to use greater military force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial international waterway through which a large percentage of the world’s oil supply travels.
“If we don’t get a deal with Iran, we will use military force to open the strait to everyone,” Wright said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Wright claimed that the original iteration of Project Freedom had been halted at Iran’s request and said the Trump administration could restart it at any moment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a staunch advocate for aggressive action against Iran, also shared his support for Trump’s plans to expand the U.S. operation to reopen the strait, writing on X that revisiting the operation could “bear fruit.”
“The idea of Project Freedom Plus is very intriguing and I believe it can bear fruit. Providing a path for safe passage of international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — in the face of Iranian resistance — is a game changer. The plus part in my opinion would envision more international partners and limited kinetic activity,” Graham wrote on Saturday.
It remains unclear exactly what the “plus part” of the operation would entail, but the president has expressed support in the past for alternative methods of protecting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and called for greater help from other countries, particularly European allies.
“I think Project Freedom was good, but I think we have other ways of doing it also,” Trump said.
He is heading to China this week to meet with President Xi Jinping, and a senior administration official said Trump would push his counterpart for help in maintaining safe passage for commercial ships through the strait.
Xi has been careful with his messaging, stopping short of promising direct military involvement despite calling for an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire” in April.
The initial Project Freedom — a U.S.-led operation to “guide” ships through the Strait of Hormuz — began last Monday and lasted roughly 24 hours before the president announced a pause in a post to Truth Social.
Iran responded on Sunday to the administration’s 14-point plan to Pakistani mediators, which would reportedly bar Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and stop the country from enriching uranium for at least 12 years.
Hours after Iran submitted its response to the U.S. plan, Trump has given no indication that a prospective peace agreement is imminent.
“For 47 years the Iranians have been ‘tapping’ us along, keeping us waiting … and laughing at our now GREAT AGAIN Country. They will be laughing no longer!” Trump wrote in a fiery post on Truth Social.
Trump maintains that last month’s ceasefire is still in effect despite recent exchanges of fire reported in the region just this week — though administration officials have been careful to keep all options on the table, including a return to active conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been closely coordinating with the U.S. operations in the region, said the war is “not over” in an interview with “60 Minutes” released Sunday.
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Netanyahu said. “... There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce.” He suggested the U.S. and Israel may have to put troops on the ground to “physically” ensure the goals are met.
Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon also remain unresolved.
Despite Trump announcing in late April an extension of a ceasefire between the two countries, both have continued to trade fire, with Israeli strikes killing 39 people this week alone, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Author
