Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Guide’ Stranded Ships Out Of Strait Of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States will launch an effort Monday to divert stranded ships from Iran-captured territory Strait of HormuzMinister Donald Trump he said, providing few details about the massive effort to assist hundreds of ships and nearly 20,000 seafarers.

Trump said in his social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries were affected by the epidemic. Iran warand “We have told these Countries that we will safely remove their Ships from these restricted Waterways so that they may proceed with their business freely and competently.”

Trump stated that the “Freedom Project” will start in the Middle East on Monday morning, and that his representatives are having talks with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for everyone.”

After the USA and Israel started a war on February 28, Iran’s de facto closure of the strait shook global markets.

Ships and sailors, many of them aboard oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stranded in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war. There are crew members Told to the Associated Press We watch as captured drones and missiles explode over the waters and drinking water, food and other supplies dwindle.

Many seafarers come from India and other countries in south and southeast Asia.

“They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote, calling the effort a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern countries, especially Iran.” But he issued a warning: “If this humanitarian process is interfered with in any way, it will unfortunately have to be intervened forcefully.”

Trump’s statement was quickly shared by some Iranian media organizations and it was stated that this statement was an “allegation”.

Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing its response to the United States’ latest offer to end the war and made clear these were not nuclear negotiations. Fragile three week ceasefire It looks like it’s holding on.

The British military’s UK Merchant Marine Operations center said a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz was attacked by several smaller vessels early Sunday. It was the last of at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the start of the Iran war.

The British observer said that all the crew on the northbound unidentified cargo ship were safe after the attack off Iran’s Sirik in the east of the strait. Iranian officials claimed that they were under control of the strait and that ships that were not affiliated with the United States or Israel could pass through it. challenges freedom of navigation by paying a fee guaranteed by international law.

Iran denied an attack and said a passing ship was stopped to check documents as part of monitoring, semi-official Iranian broadcasters Fars and Tabnak reported.

The watchdog said this was the first attack reported in the area since April 22. Tehran has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships, and the threat level in the region remains critical.

Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard engines, are small, agile and difficult to detect. Embers Last month he issued the following order to the US military: “Shoot and kill” small Iranian boats Those who laid mines in the Bosphorus.

The British military watchdog also said it had received reports on Sunday that ships near Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates and closest to the strait, had received radio warnings to move from their anchorages. It was not clear who sent the VHF messages.

According to the news of Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency, citing Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, Tehran is reviewing its reaction to the USA’s latest offer to end the war.

However, Baghaei said, “We do not have nuclear negotiations at this stage.” Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium It has long been the main issue of tensions with the United States, but Tehran prefers to address this issue later.

Iran’s proposal calls for other issues to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than prolong the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-run media.

Trump said Saturday he was reviewing the offer but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the United States to lift sanctions against Iran, end the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw its forces from the region and end all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semi-official Nour News and Tasnim news agencies, which have close ties to Iran’s security organizations.

The mediator, Pakistan’s prime minister, foreign minister and army chief, continues to encourage the United States and Iran to talk directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Trump made an offer plan Along with much-needed fertilizer for farmers around the world, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes.

Iran’s deputy speaker of parliament, Ali Nikzad, said on Sunday that Tehran “will not back down from its stance on the Strait of Hormuz and return to pre-war conditions.”

The US has warned shipping companies that they could face sanctions if they pay Iran in any form, including digital assets, to safely cross the strait.

Meanwhile, the naval blockade imposed by the USA since April 13 deprives Tehran of the oil revenue it needs. support its struggling economy. U.S. Central Command said Sunday that 49 merchant ships were told to return.

“We think they made less than $1.3 million in tolls, which is a fraction of their previous daily oil revenue,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday. He said Iran’s oil tanks were filling up quickly and “they’re going to have to start shutting down the wells, which we think might happen within the next week.”

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.