U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed its detailed plan Monday to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the plan, the U.S. will deploy an extensive array of military assets to escort merchant vessels, including guided-missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft, unmanned platforms and approximately 15,000 service members.
At the core of the naval force will be Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, considered the “workhorses” of the American fleet. Some are already operating in the Middle East region, but will now be assigned to security missions inside the strait. These destroyers also provide the primary air defense for aircraft carriers, and are expected to provide broad security coverage.
The operation’s air component will include a variety of aircraft and helicopters. Attack helicopters will escort ships and neutralize any threats from small boats, while U.S. Air Force A-10 attack aircraft will be assigned to strike targets on the water or coastal missile batteries, aiming to neutralize threats before they materialize.
The plan also includes extensive use of unmanned platforms, both aerial and maritime, which will operate alongside the ships and provide intelligence and perimeter defense. The manpower, numbering approximately 15,000 troops, will consist mostly of support crews and personnel aboard the two American aircraft carriers in the region, whose air forces will also operate over the strait.
Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, attempted to threaten the United States last night (Sunday) on his X account: “Expect a graveyard of aircraft carriers and your power tools, just as the remains of your aircraft were left in Isfahan.”
Rezaei complained that “the United States is the only pirate in the world that holds aircraft carriers,” adding: “Our ability to deal with pirates is no less than our ability to sink aircraft carriers.”
The Iranian official’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump described Saturday how the U.S. Navy behaved “like pirates,” recounting an operation to seize a ship as part of the American blockade on Iranian ports. “We landed on it and took over the ship. We took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business.”
President Trump posted overnight on his Truth Social network announcing a new naval operation called “Project Freedom,” aimed at escorting foreign ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz and safely extracting them from the area following Iranian threats against vessels passing through the strait.