US Will Guide Ships Through Strait of Hormuz, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said the United States will come to the aid of ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to security concerns.

“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social.

Trump said the tankers that the U.S. will guide are not involved with the war.

“I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait,” he wrote. “In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else.”

Trump named the process “Project Freedom,” and said it will begin Monday morning.

“The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance,” he said. “This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran. Many of these Ships are running low on food, and everything else necessary for largescale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner.”

If Iran interferes with the project, it will be “dealt with forcefully,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that this is “effectively a coordination cell to move traffic through the Strait, involving countries, insurance companies and shipping organizations.”

Naval warships will not be escorting vessels through the strait, officials told the outlet.

As many as 20,000 seafarers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf on around 2,000 vessels, according to the International Maritime Organization. 

Recently, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed mines in the strait, endangering commercial shipping traffic.

The blockage of the strait has led to rising oil prices across the world, as before the conflict, about 20% of the world’s oil supply passed through the waterway.

Iran warned the U.S. Navy to stay out of the Strait of Hormuz and said commercial vessels would need to coordinate any passage with its military. It also issued a new map outlining what it said was Iran’s control area.

Reuters contributed to this report.