News article:
New uncertainties and tension around the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump has announced an operation from Monday to unlock ships blocked for two months in the Gulf, but the Iranian military command has warned that it will attack the US army in that case. The American president, who initiated hostilities against Iran on February 28th with Israel, mentioned on Sunday night “a humanitarian gesture” and “good will” towards sailors blocked by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Starting Monday morning local time, the US Navy will escort ships from countries “that have nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East,” Trump announced. However, he warned that if this operation, named Project Freedom, is hindered by Iran, it “unfortunately should be dealt with by force,” while also praising “very positive” discussions with Tehran through Pakistan as an intermediary.
Destroyers, aircraft, and 15,000 American soldiers mobilized
Iran responded on Monday by threatening the American army. “We warn any foreign armed force, especially the aggressive American army: if they intend to approach the Strait of Hormuz or enter it, they will be targeted and attacked,” said General Ali Abdollahi, commander of the armed forces. “Any American intervention in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire” implemented on April 8th, previously warned Ebrahim Azizi, president of the Iranian Parliament’s national security commission.
In a statement, the US Central Command for the Middle East clarified that the operation announced by Donald Trump would involve missile-launching destroyers, over a hundred aircraft, and 15,000 soldiers. Since the start of hostilities, Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil consumption usually passes. Washington responded in early April by also blocking Iranian ports.
The blockade of the strait has sent oil prices soaring to their highest levels since 2022 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices stabilized on Monday in Asian markets, with a barrel of Brent, the global benchmark, inching up 0.39% to $108.59, far from the surpassed $126 on Thursday.
Nearly 1,000 ships and 20,000 sailors blocked in Ormuz
The number of commercial ships present in the Gulf amounted to 913 on April 29th, including 270 tankers and around fifty gas ships, according to the maritime tracking company AXSMarine. Some 20,000 sailors are said to be affected, according to a senior official from the UK Maritime Security Agency.
Since the start of the war, which has resulted in thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, Tehran has de facto established passage rights to cross the strait. The situation has been blocked since the ceasefire on April 8th, after nearly 40 days of Israeli-American strikes on Iran and retaliations from Tehran in the region.
The disagreements between the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear aspect remain significant, and efforts to restart negotiations have failed, despite a first direct meeting in Pakistan on April 11th. To give discussions a chance, Tehran has submitted a new proposal to Washington, to which the Iranian diplomacy responded on Sunday.
