Iran warned on Monday that it would treat any attempt by the United States to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the Middle East ceasefire, after US President Donald Trump announced plans to begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
Talks between the two sides have remained deadlocked since the ceasefire took effect on April 8, with Iran’s control over the strategic strait — following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran — emerging as a central point of dispute.
Trump said on Sunday that the new maritime initiative, dubbed “Project Freedom,” was intended as a “humanitarian” effort to assist crews stranded aboard vessels affected by the blockade, many of which are reportedly facing shortages of food and essential supplies.
“We will use best efforts to get their ships and crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that the operation would begin on Monday.
By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has disrupted major global flows of oil, gas, and fertiliser, while the United States has responded by imposing a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
In the same post, Trump said he was “fully aware” that US representatives were engaged in “very positive discussions” with Iran, expressing hope that the talks could lead to a favourable outcome. However, he made no direct reference to Tehran’s reported 14-point proposal aimed at ending the war.
US Central Command said the operation would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned systems, and around 15,000 service personnel.
According to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine, more than 900 commercial vessels were present in the Gulf as of April 29.
‘Impossible operation’
US news outlet Axios reported, citing two informed sources, that Iran’s proposal includes a one-month deadline to reach an agreement on reopening the strait, ending the US naval blockade, and concluding the war.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shifted pressure onto Trump, stating that he must choose between “an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
European allies of Washington have also raised concerns over the prolonged closure of the strait and its economic impact. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for the waterway to be reopened.
In a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Wadephul emphasised Germany’s support for a negotiated solution but insisted that Iran must “completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz.”
Oil prices have surged to around 50 per cent above pre-conflict levels, largely due to supply disruptions linked to the strait’s closure.
‘Suffocating the regime’
The US president, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, declined to outline specific triggers for further American military action.
However, he warned that any interference with the ship escort operation would be met with force. “If in any way this humanitarian (ship-guiding) process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the naval blockade forms part of a wider economic pressure campaign.
“We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government,” he told Fox News.
In a further escalation of rhetoric, Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iranian forces would target US naval assets.
“The US is the only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers. Our ability to confront pirates is no less than our ability to sink warships. Prepare to face a graveyard of your carriers and forces,” he wrote in a post on X.