Iran issued a direct military warning Monday that any American forces entering the Strait of Hormuz would be attacked, as the United States launched a new naval escort operation called Project Freedom to guide commercial vessels through the critical waterway. Iranian Major General Ali Abdollahi warned that foreign armed forces, specifically naming the U.S. military, would face attack if they approached or entered the strait. Iranian state media also claimed two missiles struck a U.S. destroyer near the entrance to the strait, a claim the U.S. military flatly denied.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X that no Navy ships had been struck, and a U.S. official separately told NBC News that no American vessels were denied access to the strait on Monday. The command confirmed that Project Freedom successfully guided ships through the strait, with the operation involving 15,000 service members, guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, and unmanned platforms. Iran's Navy also released a map asserting its zone of control over the strait, warning that passage must be coordinated with Tehran.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates confirmed that a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, though no injuries were reported. The UAE's foreign ministry called the attack a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 and accused Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps of acts of piracy. The UAE demanded Iran immediately cease all hostilities and reopen the strait unconditionally.

President Trump announced Project Freedom in a lengthy Truth Social post Sunday, saying the U.S. would safely escort ships belonging to nations not party to the Middle East conflict out of the strait. The Joint Maritime Information Center advised vessels to route through Omani territorial waters, warning that standard shipping lanes should be considered extremely hazardous due to mines that have not been fully surveyed. The standoff has brought global shipping through the strait to a near standstill and contributed to rising energy prices worldwide.

The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply, making it one of the most strategically vital maritime chokepoints on earth. The competing claims, active military deployments, and confirmed strike on a commercial tanker signal a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the potential to further disrupt global energy markets and draw additional regional players into the conflict.