President Donald Trump said the US will begin guiding some neutral ships trapped in the Persian Gulf out through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday.
“The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong – They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote Sunday in a social media post. “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Trump didn’t elaborate in the post on the specific steps the US would take to help ships exit the strait. US Central Command said Sunday that it would provide military support to restore commercial shipping through Hormuz, including the use of guided-missile destroyers, aircraft and drones.
This new effort does not currently involve US Navy escorts, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an unnamed US official, but rather a coordination process for countries, insurance companies and shipping organizations.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, said in a news release.
Al Mayadeen, in a post on X, cited the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission as warning that any US interference in the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a violation of the ceasefire.
The management of the strait and the gulf won’t be dictated by Trump’s delusional posts, it cited Ebrahim Azizi as saying.
Oil steadied as traders doubted the effectiveness of Trump’s plan for Hormuz, while a tanker was reportedly hit in the waterway. Brent was little changed near $108 a barrel, after falling as much as 2.4 percent at the open, while West Texas Intermediate was below $102.
A tanker reported being hit by projectiles 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said. While the vessel was not identified, the crew were reported to be safe.
Trump said US representatives are having “very positive discussions” with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for all,” but didn’t offer additional details.
Earlier, Trump had suggested the Islamic Republic’s latest peace proposal might not be enough to satisfy him as efforts to put an end to the conflict have yet to show progress.
Iran is reviewing the US response to its recent 14-point plan, Iranian TV reported, citing a foreign ministry spokesman.
In announcing his latest Hormuz move, Trump said the ships that would be helped in this program – which he dubbed “Project Freedom” – have large crews that are running out of food and other necessities while they’re waiting for safe passage through the strait. He said that several countries have asked the US for help in freeing up their ships.
“In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else,” Trump wrote.
Hundreds of tankers, bulk carriers and cargo ships are still languishing in the Gulf, and countries in the region have shuttered significant oil production as there’s no longer anywhere to store new supplies.
Energy prices have soared because of the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway south of Iran through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows. That’s stirred concerns in the White House that the Republicans could suffer a major defeat in November’s Midterm elections as Americans cope with high gasoline prices.
The strait remains at the heart of the stalemate. After Iran effectively closed the waterway, the US imposed a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports, seeking to squeeze its economy and choke off oil exports.
