Washington DC, May 5 -- In a stern warning to Tehran, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth officially defined the parameters of Project Freedom on Tuesday, characterising the mission as a temporary but "locked and loaded" defensive measure to end Iranian interference in global shipping.

Speaking from the Pentagon alongside Gen Dan Caine, Hegseth announced that President Trump has directed US Central Command to ensure the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz. The mission aims to dismantle what the administration describes as an "illegal stranglehold" and an extortionist tolling system imposed by Iran on international waters.

Hegseth said that President Trump has directed US Central Command to restart the free flow of commerce t...