US launches Project Freedom in Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in Iran
Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer announce the US initiative ‘Project Freedom’ to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump is issuing a stern warning to Iran against any interference in its shipping lanes. Bryan Llenas reports from Tel Aviv on recent drone strikes blamed on Iran by the UAE and South Korea’s investigation into a ship attack in the volatile region.
A new US-backed proposal to build a network of overland energy pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz is gaining attention as tensions in the region expose a critical vulnerability in the global energy system.
The plan envisions pipelines extending westward to the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, as well as southern routes toward the Arabian Sea, creating multiple export routes that would reduce dependence on the strait, through which about a third of the world’s seaborne oil currently flows.
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The proposal would rely on broad international participation, with European and Asian buyers investing in infrastructure and securing long-term supply agreements.
“European buyers are desperate for long-term supply resilience, and Asian customers are just as vulnerable,” Goldberg said. “Even China cannot tolerate the risk of sustained disruption.”
The push comes at a time when Iranian threats to commercial shipping and ongoing U.S. efforts to secure the waterway under President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” highlight the risks that a single chokepoint poses to global energy flows.
Roughly a third of the world’s marine oil flows through the narrow waterway, making it a crucial artery for global markets. With Iran threatening shipping and US troops now guiding ships through the strait under President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom,” the White House is framing the crisis in global terms.
“The president will not allow Iran to hold the global economy hostage and undermine the free flow of energy,” said White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, describing the launch of “Project Freedom” as a humanitarian effort to restore navigation through the straits.
That framework is consistent with the growing view among U.S. officials and analysts that the risk is not only immediate but also structural.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz indicated that Washington’s partners are already looking beyond the strait itself.
“I know they are looking at additional alternatives to, frankly, diversify their trajectories and diversify their economies,” he added.
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The increase in regional piracy risk is exacerbated by the volatility of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian-backed threats in the Persian Gulf persist and global energy flows shift. (Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Cassandra Thompson/US Navy via Getty Images)
A vulnerability that has been in the making for years
The idea that Hormuz represents a structural weakness is not new. But until now this has been largely tolerated, with global markets relying on stability in the Gulf to maintain the flow of energy.
That assumption is now under pressure.
Even as U.S. naval forces are deployed to secure the waterway, the current crisis has highlighted how quickly disruption, or even the threat of it, can ripple through global supply chains.
“This is not just a long-term idea anymore,” said Rich Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “There is a real threat to the Strait of Hormuz that will not disappear as long as the regime in Tehran continues.”
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The proposal would rely on broad international participation, with European and Asian buyers investing in infrastructure and securing long-term supply agreements. (US Central Command)
Saudi Arabia: building around risk
Saudi Arabia stands out as the country among Gulf states that has invested most heavily in reducing dependence on Hormuz.
The east-west pipeline allows crude oil to travel from eastern fields on the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, completely bypassing the strait. From there, shipments can head to Europe, Africa and Asia without entering the bottleneck.
“Saudi Arabia has addressed the Strait of Hormuz risk with planning, not panic,” said Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst.
Al-Ansari argued that the kingdom’s strategy goes beyond energy exports and positions the country as a broader logistics hub.
“Ports, pipelines, land bridges, storage and access to the Red Sea are all part of one Saudi emergency architecture,” he said.
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The plan envisions pipelines extending westward to the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, as well as southern routes toward the Arabian Sea, creating multiple export routes that would reduce dependence on the strait, through which about a third of the world’s seaborne oil currently flows. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
UAE and the fragmentation of the Gulf model
Saudi Arabia is not the only player adapting.
The United Arab Emirates has also developed alternative export capacity through its pipeline to Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, some analysts argue that recent regional dynamics point to a deeper shift, one that goes beyond infrastructure and focuses on the political structure of the Gulf itself.
Yonatan Adiri, an Israeli entrepreneur and former adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres, said the traditional model of a unified energy system in the Gulf around Hormuz is beginning to crumble.
“The whole arrangement … it’s starting to break down,” Adiri said, referring to the long-standing dependence on the strait as a central artery for Gulf exports.
He pointed to emerging economic and geopolitical realignments, including new corridors and changing alliances, that are fragmenting the region’s traditional energy architecture.
“The UAE’s exit from OPEC is not just about production policy,” Adiri said, referring to the country’s decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with effect from May 1, 2026. “It reflects a broader shift towards an independent strategy – building one’s own routes, partnerships and influence rather than relying on a collective system.”
These changes, according to Adiri, are partly driven by broader global competition, and in particular by efforts by the United States and its partners to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
“The whole system is being rethought,” he said, describing a shift to diversified routes that reduce reliance on single bottlenecks.
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Cargo ships anchor in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)
Uneven exposure throughout the Gulf
Despite these developments, not all Gulf states are equally well prepared.
“If you’re Kuwait, you’re in a world of hurt,” Goldberg said, pointing to countries that lack meaningful alternatives to maritime exports.
Qatar, one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, remains heavily reliant on the strait, with limited options to divert supplies if shipping is disrupted.
This uneven exposure could reshape regional dynamics, allowing countries with alternative routes to be more resilient and influential to future crises.
Political boundaries and long-term questions
Although the technical arguments for alternative routes are becoming stronger, political constraints remain.
One of the most sensitive issues is whether future corridors could involve Israel, even indirectly.
“As for routes involving Israel, even indirectly, politics is extremely difficult under the current circumstances,” Al-Ansari said. “I really don’t see it happening now.”
At the same time, he suggested that such cooperation could become more realistic in the future under different political conditions.
A system in transition
For now, the US and its allies remain focused on stabilizing the immediate situation in the Strait of Hormuz so that ships can pass safely and global markets can continue to function.
But as tensions persist, the current crisis is forcing a broader reassessment.
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Although the technical arguments for alternative routes are becoming stronger, political constraints remain. (Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press)
The question is no longer just how to secure the strait, but also whether the global energy system can afford to be as dependent on it as it has been for decades.
If the current trajectory continues, Hormuz may remain crucial but no longer dominant, experts argue, as countries invest in new routes, new partnerships and a more diversified energy map.
