Trump Announces Navy Will Guide Neutral Ships Out of the Strait of Hormuz

President Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. military will begin guiding ships from countries not involved in the war with Iran out of the Strait of Hormuz, an operation he called “Project Freedom.” CBS News reported that Trump posted the announcement on Truth Social and described it as a “humanitarian gesture.”

U.S. Central Command said Sunday evening that the operation will include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members, according to CBS News. It did not say whether American warships would escort individual vessels.

An analyst told Al Jazeera that more than 100 ships a day transited the strait before the war, and the outlet said it was unclear how the operation would be carried out. Shipping traffic has fallen by more than 90 percent since the conflict began, the Royal Navy said, as cited by CBS News.

Iran has said ships not linked to the United States or Israel may pass if they pay a toll, CBS reported, and the Treasury Department warned on Friday that paying it could violate U.S. sanctions. CBS also reported that a bulk carrier outside the strait, off Sirik, reported an attack by small craft on Sunday, the first reported in the area since April 22. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that the United States faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation and a deal, according to the network.

The announcement comes while the two sides are trading proposals through Pakistan. Trump said Saturday that he was reviewing Iran’s 14-point reply and was not satisfied with it, CBS reported, and on Sunday he said negotiations were going “very well” without giving details. The ceasefire that began April 7 remains in place, and the administration told Congress on Friday that hostilities had ended, a claim Democrats dispute.

Trump warned that any interference would be dealt with forcefully, and an Iranian parliament security committee chairman, Ebrahim Azizi, said U.S. interference would count as a ceasefire violation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called the war illegal, according to CBS.

How many ships will use the corridor remains to be seen.