Iran has warned US forces not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States would "guide out" ships stranded in the Gulf by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Trump gave few details of the plan to aid ships and their crews that have been confined to the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies more than two months into the conflict.
"We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday.
In response, Iran's unified command told commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement that was not coordinated with Iran's military.
"We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces," Ali Abdollahi, head of the forces' unified command, said in the statement.
"We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz."
Iran has blocked nearly all shipping into and out of the Gulf apart from its own since the start of the war, cutting off around a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments and sending oil prices soaring by 50% or more.
US Central Command, which for its part is blockading Iranian ports to put pressure on Tehran, said it would support the rescue effort with 15,000 military personnel and more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, plus warships and drones.
"Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade," Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.
CONVOYS NOT A SOLUTION, SAY SHIPPING AND OIL EXECUTIVES
Hundreds of commercial vessels and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, the International Maritime Organization says.
Numerous executives from the shipping and oil industries have said they need an end to hostilities and some form of peace deal because they do not regard military convoys as a solution that would allow normal traffic to resume and the shipping industry to feel safe.
Asked on Monday about the US response to Tehran's latest offer, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said he would not go into details but took another swipe at Washington's stance.
"The US will not easily give up its habit of maximalism and unreasonable demands. We are still faced with a side that both changes its views regularly and raises issues that could complicate any diplomatic process," he told reporters.
Some vessels attempting to transit the strait have reported being fired on, and Iran has seized others.
Soon after Trump's comments on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the strait.
All its crew were reported safe in the incident, which occurred 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.
In a rare piece of good news, Pakistan said on Monday the US had handed over 22 crew from an Iranian container vessel that American forces had seized last month in what Tehran called a violation of international law.
Pakistan, which has been trying to broker a peace deal, described the US move as a "confidence-building measure".
The Trump administration has been seeking help from other countries to form an international coalition to secure shipping in the strait. CENTCOM said the latest effort announced by Trump would combine "diplomatic action with military coordination".
It was not immediately clear which countries the US operation would aid or how the operation would work. It will not necessarily include US Navy ships escorting commercial ships, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on X.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump said any interference with the US operation would have to be "dealt with forcefully".
IRAN REVIEWS US RESPONSE TO PEACE PROPOSAL
Crude oil prices LCOc1edged higher on Monday and analysts said they were likely to remain above $100 a barrel with no peace deal in sight and the Strait of Hormuz still largely blocked.
The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, and US and Iranian officials held one round of talks. But attempts to set up further meetings have so far failed.
Iranian state media said on Sunday Washington had conveyed its response to Iran's 14-point proposal via Pakistan, and that Tehran was now reviewing it. Neither side gave details.
A senior Iranian official has confirmed that Tehran envisages ending the war on all fronts - including Israel's attacks on Lebanon - and resolving the shipping standoff first, while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear programme for later.
Washington wants Tehran to give up its stockpile of more than 400 kg (900 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, which the United States says could power a bomb.
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, although it is willing to discuss some curbs in return for the lifting of sanctions. It had accepted such curbs in a 2015 deal that Trump abandoned.
Trump faces domestic pressure to break Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up US gasoline prices, threatening to cause a voter backlash against his Republican Party in midterm congressional elections in November.
