A Maersk ship that had been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for weeks was successfully escorted out by the U.S. military.

U.S. Central Command shared on social media that two U.S.-flagged merchant ships had been safely guided out of the strait on May 4. The New York Times identified one of those ships as the Alliance Fairfax, which is operated by Maersk subsidiary Farrell Lines, and had been stranded since the start of the Iran war on February 28. The status of the other ship has yet to be provided.

“Maersk extends its gratitude to the U.S. military for its professionalism and effective coordination in making this operation possible,” Maersk said, noting that all crew members were reported unharmed. 

Trump announced Project Freedom on May 3, billing it as a large-scale operation to free ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. However, shipping lines have since expressed skepticism, citing security concerns over ongoing hostilities in the region, and a lack of specifics from the Trump administration regarding plans to escort ships. The exact route the Alliance Fairfax took to exit the strait remains unclear as well, nor has any information been offered as to the exact role the U.S. Navy played.

This comes as Iran has ramped up efforts to widen its control of the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reportedly fired drones and missiles at the United Arab Emirates on May 5, and U.S. officials say that they've sunk multiple Iranian vessels in recent days. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said in a social media post that "the events in Hormuz make clear that there's no military solution to a political crisis." 

"As talks are making progress with Pakistan's gracious effort, the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into a quagmire by ill-wishers," he added. "Project Freedom is Project Deadlock."