Project Freedom on Pause | MV Fairfax Alliance & CS Anthem Out | US Strafes an Iranian Tanker

This episode is a detailed update on shipping risk in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea. The host, Sal Mccaglano, says the U.S. initiated what he calls 'Project Freedom' to escort U.S.-flag vessels out of the region, naming the MV Alliance Fairfax and CS Anthem as the first two ships to leave under escort. He describes the operation as having tactical support from U.S. destroyers, embarked shipping advisers, Marines, and air cover, and says it was intended as phase one of a larger effort to move more ships out. He then says the operation stalled or was called off after the transit of those vessels, citing a burst of attacks on shipping, including an attack on the CMA CGM San Antonio and possible mine-related incidents. …

1. The host says the first U.S.-escorted exits from the Strait of Hormuz were Alliance Fairfax and CS Anthem.
2. He argues 'Project Freedom' was meant to be phase one of a larger escort-and-exit effort, not a one-off.
3. He believes the operation broke down because the U.S. could not suppress shore-based threats while under ceasefire constraints.
4. He highlights a new Iranian 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' as a political/legal move to control routing and fees in the strait.
5. He treats recent shipping attacks, including the CMA CGM San Antonio incident, as proof that the area remains highly dangerous.
6. He says the U.S. disabled the Iranian tanker Hansa/Hazna’s rudder in the Gulf of Oman, signaling active blockade enforcement.
7. He doubts commercial shippers will willingly rely on this corridor until missile, drone, and mine threats are materially reduced.

• The host presents many assertions about convoy tactics and military coordination without verifiable evidence in the transcript, including Marines, F-35 cover, and specific command arrangements.
• He treats the creation of the 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' as a meaningful operational reality, but the transcript does not establish that it has practical enforcement power beyond a political claim.
• His explanation that the operation failed mainly because of ceasefire constraints is plausible but not demonstrated with hard operational evidence.
• He speculates that the San Antonio attack was likely a cruise or ballistic missile based on injury count, but the transcript does not provide forensic proof.
• He assumes mines were not laid early and were introduced later, but that sequence is presented as personal judgment rather than substantiated fact.
• The claim that Project Freedom was intended partly to avoid the ceasefire and War Powers Act is stated forcefully but not independently supported in the transcript.