Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said the United States would start helping to free ships stranded in Gulf waterways by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran from Monday, as a tanker reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. plan to guide ships
Trump gave few details of the plan to aid ships and their crews that have been “locked up” in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.
“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.
Scale of disruption and U.S. support
Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, the International Maritime Organization said.
U.S. Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, along with 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.
Tanker reports being hit in the strait
Soon after Trump’s comments, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the strait.
The agency said all crew were reported safe in the incident, which occurred 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, and said few details were immediately available.
Blockades and shipping incidents
Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months, sending energy prices soaring.
Some vessels attempting to transit the strait have reported being fired on, and Iran seized several other ships.
Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
How might the U.S. effort to guide ships out of restricted waterways affect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz?
