US Military: 2 US Vessels Escorted Through Hormuz; No Warship Hit by Attack

Two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels have been escorted through the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. Navy as the first step of Project Freedom, U.S. Central Command announced on Monday. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. military would help free ships that have been locked up and unable to transit the Hormuz Strait, an operation known as Project Freedom. Iran signaled an aggressive response to this latest bid to break its blockade at the Strait, and claimed on Monday that a U.S. warship had been struck by missiles in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command denied the claim, saying no U.S. Navy ships have been struck. Meanwhile, South Korea confirmed that an explosion had occurred on a Panama-flagged vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company, and the ship was stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after the incident. The cause of the explosion and fire is currently under investigation, and it is too early to determine whether an external attack caused it, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean Foreign Ministry and an official from the shipping company.