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Plan announced by Trump to help stranded ships as tensions with Iran remain high
US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would begin guiding foreign ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and warned that if Iran tried to obstruct the process, the US military would use force.
According to Axios, this move, which Trump called "Project Freedom," constitutes his administration's most significant step to reopen this key maritime corridor, after Iran closed it at the beginning of the war.
Although Trump presents the initiative as "humanitarian," it constitutes a clear challenge to Tehran's efforts to control the strait. A military response from Iran could lead to confrontation or a new escalation of the conflict.
Recent developments indicate that the new initiative will not necessarily involve the US Navy escorting merchant ships, according to two US officials. One of them said that the Navy ships would remain “in close proximity” to intervene if Iran tries to attack merchant ships passing through the strait.
Officials added that the US Navy will provide merchant ships with information about the safest maritime corridors, especially those routes that have not been mined by the Iranian military.
The details reveal that the plan envisages more coordination and prevention rather than sustained escort operations, even though tensions over maritime security in the region remain high.
In a post on the Truth Social network, Trump stated that countries around the world, which are not involved in the war but have ships blocked in the strait, have asked the US for help in freeing them.
He stressed that many of these ships are facing a lack of food and other supplies for the crews, as well as health and sanitation problems.
"The movement of the ships is only intended to free people, companies and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong, they are victims of circumstance. This is a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, the countries of the Middle East, but especially Iran ," Trump wrote.
He added , "We have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely through these restricted waters so that they can freely continue their activities."
Trump warned that if this humanitarian process is obstructed in any way, the intervention will be met with force. In a broader context, Trump stated that his representatives are holding “very positive discussions” with Iran and stressed that these talks “can lead to something very positive for everyone.”
Iranian authorities have reacted to Trump's announcement. Tehran, for its part, reacted immediately to the US plan.
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, warned that any "American interference" in the new maritime regime in the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a "violation of the ceasefire."
Shortly after Trump's tweet, CENTCOM confirmed that US armed forces would actively support the mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
The commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said the operation is considered critical "to regional security and the global economy," noting that guided missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and about 15,000 military personnel will participate.
Sources cited by Axios say the US sent a new, updated draft of an agreement aimed at ending the war on Sunday, in response to the latest proposal from Iranian officials.
The crisis in the crucial sea passage has already caused serious disruptions to energy markets and international maritime transport, with dozens of ships stranded and oil prices fluctuating sharply in recent weeks.
While Washington now openly talks about a military escort mission in the world's most critical energy sea route, diplomats and analysts warn that even a small mistake could lead to a new escalation in the region. / Pamphlet /
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