The decision by President Donald Trump to launch an effort to move shipping out of the Strait of Hormuz comes amid continuing reports of attacks in and around the waterway and amid competing claims over whether the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is holding. Trump said the U.S. would start on Monday to “guide” ships through what he called restricted waterways, saying the effort would help “neutral and innocent” countries affected by the Iran war. He described the initiative as a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States and Middle Eastern countries, and he warned that if it was interfered with, it would be “dealt with forcefully.”
In a Sunday social media post, Trump said the U.S. had told other countries that it would “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.” He said the effort, which he referred to as “Project Freedom,” would begin Monday morning in the Middle East, and he added that U.S. representatives were discussing with Iran something that could be “very positive for all.” The announcement did not include detailed operational specifics about how the effort would be carried out.
U.S. Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. The Pentagon did not immediately answer questions about how the forces would be deployed, according to the Associated Press report. Trump’s comments also set a condition around the effort, saying “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Iran quickly reacted to the announcement. Trump’s plan was denounced by Iran as a ceasefire violation, the AP reported, with Iran’s state-run IRNA calling the move part of Trump’s “delirium.” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, said on X that any interference in the strait would be seen as a ceasefire violation. The AP reported that Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing the U.S. response to Tehran’s latest proposal, and that the fragile three-week ceasefire appeared to be holding.
The Trump announcement also followed reports of attacks near the strait. Earlier Sunday, a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was attacked by multiple small craft, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, and another ship reported being hit by “unknown projectiles.” No injuries were reported in the AP account. The report said the attacks were among at least two dozen in and around the strait since the Iran war began, and they were the first reported attacks in the area since April 22.
Iran has said it effectively controls the strait, while also asserting that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll, which the AP said challenges freedom of navigation under international law. The AP report said Iranian officials denied an attack, citing the semiofficial outlets Fars and Tabnak as saying a passing ship had been stopped for a documents check as part of monitoring. It also described Iranian patrol boats as small and difficult to detect, and said Trump last month ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the strait.
On the diplomacy side, Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying Tehran was reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal to end the war. “But ‘at this stage, we have no nuclear negotiations,’ Baghaei said,” according to the AP report. The AP said Iran’s proposal wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, and it reported Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing forces from the region, and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, citing Iran-linked outlets Nour News and Tasnim.
The AP report also described statements about Iran’s position on the strait from Iranian officials, including Ali Nikzad, Iran’s deputy parliament speaker, who said earlier Sunday that Iran “will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions.” It said the U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form, including digital assets, to transit the strait safely. Separately, the AP reported that the U.S. naval blockade since April 13 has told some commercial ships to turn back, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday that Iran’s toll revenue was lower than before.
For shipping companies and crews, the operational risk remains. The AP reported that ships and seafarers have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began and that crew members have described intercepted drones and missiles exploding over the waters while vessels have run low on drinking water, food and other supplies. Many sailors come from India and other countries in South and Southeast Asia, the AP said, and Trump characterized the stranded seafarers as “victims of circumstance” in his post while framing “Project Freedom” as a humanitarian effort.
Sources cited in the AP report also included a British maritime monitor saying ships near Ras al-Khaimah received radio warnings to move from anchorages, and it said it was not clear who sent the VHF messages. The AP reported that a tanker struck off Fujairah said it was hit around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, adding to the backdrop of intermittent attacks even as negotiators discuss options for ending the broader conflict.