American warships threatening Iran: new escalation in the Gulf

Published: May 4, 2026 15:35

In the Middle East, Iran reacts this Monday, May 4, after the comments of Donald Trump, who said he wants to release the ships blocked in the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the area is at a standstill, and Tehran is now threatening to attack the American army if it approaches.

The image was published on Sunday, May 3 by an Iranian news agency. A container ship is still stranded in the Hormuz Strait, like hundreds of ships for over two months. Donald Trump announces on Monday morning ordering an armed escort to get the boats out. “We will guide the ships safely out of restricted waterways, so they can freely resume their business,” assured the US president on social media.

Operation name: “Freedom Project”. For over two months, nearly 1,000 ships and 20,000 sailors have been blocked by the war. To escort the ships, the US military says it is mobilizing air forces, missile-launching destroyers, and 15,000 soldiers. And the United States warn that any hindrance by Iran will be met with force.

On Iranian television this morning, the presenter reads the response from the Revolutionary Guards: “We warn any foreign armed force, especially the aggressive American army. If they want to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, they will be targeted and attacked.” Iran claims to be able to defend its control of the strait, including with small, fast, and easily deployable boats.

“The risk, if American boats protect tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz and Iranians, Iranian boats, decide to send a missile for example, if the American military retaliates, automatically we can consider that there is a spiral and that the ceasefire is in peril,” explains Etienne Leenhardt, chief of the foreign service of France Télévisions.

The specter of a new military escalation looms, as peace negotiations advance slowly.