WASHINGTON: The U.S. Navy will guide stranded foreign ships to safety through the Strait of Hormuz starting on Monday, President Donald Trump said, warning Iran that any interference with the process would be dealt with forcefully.
Trump said in an article published in “Truth Social” that the “Freedom Project” is designed to help foreign ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz as “innocent bystanders” and in no way participates in developments in West Asia.
Trump said several of the ships were running low on food, drinking water and everything needed to keep large crews healthy and sanitary on board.
Meanwhile, the U.S. president said his representatives are in active discussions with Iran that could lead to an outcome that is “beneficial to everyone.”
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea passage between Oman and Iran that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies, has been effectively closed since the United States and Israel launched war against Iran on February 28.
The United States has also imposed an economic blockade on Iran, denying any ships access to the ports of the Persian Gulf country.
Trump said: “The ship movement is simply to liberate individuals, companies and countries who have done absolutely nothing wrong – they are victims of the environment. This is a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, the countries of the Middle East, and especially the country of Iran.”
“We have told these countries that we will guide their vessels safely out of these restricted waterways so that they can conduct their business freely and competently,” he said.
“If this humanitarian process is disrupted in any way, then unfortunately that disruption must be dealt with forcefully,” Trump said.
The United States on Sunday sent another revised draft of a deal to end the war in response to the latest overtures from Iranian officials, Axios reported.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that the United States is in talks with Iran to end the war.
Since the outbreak of the war, the global oil market has been in turmoil, and crude oil prices have remained high, hitting $126 per barrel last week.
The US president is also facing pressure from high US oil prices, which have soared to $4.45 per gallon, an increase of nearly 50% since the war broke out on February 28.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell less than 1% late Sunday to around $107 a barrel, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude also fell less than 1% to trade around $101 a barrel.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
