Operation Project Freedom

Hegseth asks Congress for $1.5 trillion defense budget as Iran war costs conitnue to climb

"Not funding this department at $1.5 trillion, I believe, is the greatest threat that our nation faces," Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth looks on as he testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump's supplemental funding request for the Department of Defense, in Washington.
US Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer dropping JDAM bombs photographed from the canopy of an escort fighter jet.

US CENTCOM strikes Iran, marking the eleventh consecutive night of bombardment

US Marines carry out a verification boarding of the tanker Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released July 16, 2026.

Mediators propose 10-day ceasefire to de-escalate US-Iran war

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (2nd-R) and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) attend a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.

US sanctions network accused of procuring weapons for IRGC as Iran ramps up strikes in Hormuz


Iran can last for months under US Strait of Hormuz blockade, US officials say - report

“The leadership has gotten more radical, determined, and increasingly confident they can outlast US political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance,” one US official said.

A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken June 22, 2025.

Diplomatic anchor or strategic space for Iran: Saudi airspace becomes new challenge for Trump

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of Operation Project Freedom angered Riyadh, leading Saudi Arabia to inform the US that it would not allow the US military to fly through Saudi airspace.

US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman look at portraits at the "Presidential Walk of Fame" in the Colonnade at the White House in Washington, DC, November 18, 2025.

Netanyahu 'not surprised' by US-Iran negotiations development, says there is 'full coordination'

"We are maintaining continuous contact with our friends in the US. I speak with President Trump on an almost daily basis," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

US President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2025.

South Korea suspends review of Trump's call to participate in 'Project Freedom'

The decision to suspend the review was made after US President Donald Trump put Operation Project Freedom on hold.

People watch a television screen showing a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump delivering national address on war against Iran, at a train station in Seoul on April 2, 2026.

Will Trump pausing effort to open Strait bring an Iran deal? - analysis

The pause in the US plan to enable the movement of ships through the Strait illustrates just how complex a task this has become.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

Despite Iran's attacks on UAE, war has not resumed, US Gen. Dan Caine says

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added that the US established a "red, white, and blue dome" over the Strait of Hormuz as a "gift from the US to the world."

 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on May 05, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.