Iran Says US Hormuz Intervention Would Breach Ceasefire; CENTCOM Backs Freedom Project With 15,000 Personnel

Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chair Ibrahim Azizi rebuked Washington's new shipping initiative for the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that any U.S. intervention would amount to a ceasefire violation. The statement was issued via X after the United States said it would safeguard commercial vessel transits through the chokepoint.

"The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf cannot be governed through misleading posts," Azizi wrote, criticizing remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump. The Iranian official said "mutual blame scenarios" would convince no one in the region and signaled that intervention attempts would be turned back. Azizi's pushback follows Iran's parliament's 12-article Hormuz transit protocol announced in Bandar Abbas and foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei's recent comments on a 14-point negotiation framework conveyed via Pakistan.

On the U.S. side, CENTCOM said it would back the "Freedom Project" to secure commercial transits through the strait. According to Yenicag's reporting, around 15,000 military personnel are earmarked for the operation. The move marks the broadest new operational push since CENTCOM's April reports of 42 tankers turned away under the maritime blockade and the Blue Star III boarding operations in the Sea of Oman.

Trump framed the initiative in humanitarian terms, saying U.S. forces would help safeguard passage for vessels from "neutral" countries unrelated to the regional crisis. The president sought to keep the announcement clear of direct military confrontation. Tehran rejected the framing as diplomatic cover, arguing that any de facto intervention would void the ceasefire status the White House described as "terminated" in its May 2 letter to the U.S. Congress.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a fifth of global crude flows, making it one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. The U.S.-Iran tug-of-war over transit rules has lifted tanker freight rates and LR2 indices over the past 30 days while preserving supply security risks for Asian refiners and European energy buyers. Azizi's warning combined with CENTCOM's personnel surge points to a fresh escalation cycle in the fragile February 2026 ceasefire.

Key Takeaways:
1. Ibrahim Azizi declared U.S. intervention in Hormuz would be a ceasefire violation.
2. CENTCOM committed about 15,000 personnel to the Freedom Project to secure commercial transits.
3. Trump framed the initiative as a humanitarian operation for vessels from neutral countries.
4. The statement followed Iran's 12-article transit protocol and spokesperson Baghaei's 14-point response.
5. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of global crude flows, a critical maritime chokepoint.

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