Hegseth: US has set up a ‘red, white and blue dome’ over Strait of Hormuz

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said hundreds of commercial ships are lining up to leave the Strait of Hormuz as the United States has erected a “red, white and blue dome” over the corridor, which has been largely closed off by Iran since the start of the war. 

President Trump’s “Project Freedom,” an operation to guide tankers through the strait with American assets deployed nearby to protect against Iranian attacks, began Monday. 

The U.S. military said two commercial vessels passed through the strait Monday. However, Tehran’s forces opened fire on U.S. warships and commercial vessels and warned ships not to test its control of the waterway. 

“Iran’s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable. That ends with Project Freedom. Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Tuesday morning. 

“And right now, hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit,” he added. 

Hegseth said U.S. Central Command, along with partner countries, was in communication with these ships, their owners and insurers. 

“As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait. American destroyers........

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