Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division are
ready to respond and support “Project Freedom,” Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said
Tuesday at a Pentagon briefing.
“Project Freedom” is an effort announced by President Donald
Trump that the U.S. will help guide ships from counties not involved in the war
with Iran safely out of the Strait of Hormuz. The effort began Monday.
“They are going all the way every day, and whenever the
nation calls on them, they are there to answer the call,” Caine said of the
paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division. “We are grateful for
their service and their leadership.”
Paratroopers are used for “any mission in any environment, constantly
training and ready to jump from Air Force aircraft into ground combat and seize
key terrain,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of War.
Caine said the division is used for more than just forcible entries. The division uses next-generation, artificial intelligence-enabled tactical networks to augment intelligence and operations, and the division seamlessly synchronizes these effects. It is now doing so in support of Project Freedom.
U.S. military leaders said a ceasefire
remains in effect a day after Iran was blamed for new attacks in the Strait
of Hormuz and against the United Arab Emirates. The key American ally later
said it came under Iranian drone and missile attack again on Tuesday.
The U.S. military said two commercial vessels safely
transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with hundreds more bottled up in the
Persian Gulf.
“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact,” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. “They said they control the strait. They do not.”
Iran fired missiles at ships being protected during the
operation, and Trump said U.S. forces destroyed
several Iranian small boats for trying to interfere.
The Strait of Hormuz is vital channel for trade in the Middle
East.
The Iran war has caused oil and gas
prices to skyrocket in recent weeks.