Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday a major rescue effort dubbed “Project Freedom,” claiming it will evacuate nearly 23,000 civilians from 87 countries who he says have been stranded at sea in the Persian Gulf amid rising tensions with Iran.
Speaking at the White House, Rubio accused Iran of effectively holding commercial ships and their crews hostage for more than two months, calling the situation “piracy.”
“Almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries are trapped inside the Gulf and left for dead by this Iranian regime,” Rubio said.
He described a dangerous situation in which civilian crews have faced gunfire and repeated attacks on their vessels.
“This isn’t just criminal—it’s desperate and destructive,” Rubio added. “They are at the mercy of what can only be described as piracy.”
Rubio also claimed some crews have come under direct fire, calling the incidents “senseless attacks on civilian ships.”
He further accused Iran of detaining sailors “simply because it can,” while drawing comparisons to the regime’s past crackdowns on domestic protests.
“Project Freedom,” he said, aims to bring those stranded safely out of the Gulf as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
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