(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump said in a long post on Truth Social on Sunday night that the US has informed other countries that it will help “guide” their commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would mark an escalation of US military operations off of Iran’s coast and risk an Iranian response.
The president dubbed the effort “Project Freedom” and said that it would begin on Monday morning, Iran time. Trump said the countries the US will assist are “neutral” and the “victim of circumstance,” that circumstance being the US and Israel launching a war with Iran.
“This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries, But, in particular, the Country of Iran,” Trump wrote. “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
In response to Trump’s announcement, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site News that the move “is primarily intended to provoke Iran into taking an initial step toward confrontation, thereby creating a pretext for escalation and enabling him to justify further military action in response to an Iranian initiative.”
The official said that Iran’s “definitive position is that any commercial vessel attempting to transit through designated restricted routes without prior coordination will be promptly intercepted by Iranian forces. Should U.S. military vessels respond, such actions would be met with an immediate and corresponding response from Iran.”
The Iranian official also noted that US warships are currently far from the Strait of Hormuz and that if any commercial ships attempt to exit the Persian Gulf, they would be intercepted by Iranian vessels well before reaching the US naval armada.
US officials told Axios that Trump’s announcement doesn’t necessarily mean that US Navy ships would be escorting commercial vessels. They said US warships would be in the “vicinity,” but that it would involve the Navy providing information to commercial ships about the best way to navigate through the strait.
Trump also said in the post that his representatives are “having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” though there are currently no direct negotiations as messages are being passed through Pakistan.
The US has responded to Iran’s new proposal, which, according to Iranian media, is aimed at putting a permanent end to hostilities in the region, including in Lebanon, where Israel has continued its occupation, heavy strikes, and demolition of buildings despite a ceasefire agreement and Trump’s declaration that Israel was “prohibited” from further attacks in the country.
Some media reports said that Iran’s 14-point proposal included a 15-year freeze on Iran’s uranium enrichment and a resumption of enrichment at the 3.67% level, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied that it was the case. “The plan we have presented is centered on ending the war. There are absolutely no details regarding the country’s nuclear issues in this proposal,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
Baqaei also said that the “Americans have given their answer to Iran’s 14-point plan to the Pakistani side, and we are currently reviewing it.”
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
