Tehran: Amidst rising tensions between Iran and US, the former nation flagged a ceasefire breach as US plans to escort ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran in a warning stated that any interference by the US in the Strait would be treated as a violation of the ceasefire even as the 14-point truce proposal is under review.
President Donald Trump said that US would initiate a new program to help guide foreign stranded ships to safety through the Strait of Hormuz from Monday and warned Iran that any interference in the process would be dealt with forcefully. Project Freedom is a military backed operation aimed at securing commercial shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said ‘Project Freedom’ was aimed at helping foreign ships that are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz as “innocent bystanders” and in no way involved in the developments in West Asia.
Calling the move a ‘humanitarian gesture’ he said, the Ships movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance. This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.”
As per official sources, over 100 land and sea-based aircrafts, multi domain unmanned platforms and over 15000 service members would be deployed for the project.
Control over the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt the maritime traffic impacting global oil supply and other essential transport. The waterways remain a key tool in the negotiations and a potential trigger for renewed escalations.
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