Iran threatened on Monday to attack any American military forces that attempt to enter the Strait of Hormuz, hours after President Donald Trump announced the United States would escort stranded commercial vessels safely out of the Gulf.
Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the waterway for more than two months since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with crews running low on food and other supplies. Iran has blocked nearly all shipping into and out of the Gulf apart from its own, cutting off around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments and pushing oil prices up by 50% or more.
“We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive U.S. Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s unified military command.
Trump had announced on Sunday via his Truth Social platform that Washington would “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways.” US Central Command said it would commit 15,000 military personnel, more than 100 aircraft, warships and drones to support the effort, which it described as a “defensive mission” conducted in parallel with its ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s unified command responded by ordering commercial ships and oil tankers not to move without prior coordination with its military.
Shipping and oil industry executives have broadly rejected military convoys as a workable solution, saying only a ceasefire and a formal peace deal would allow normal traffic to resume and restore confidence in the waterway.
Crude oil prices edged higher on Monday and analysts said they were likely to remain above $100 a barrel with no peace deal in sight.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian state media reported on Sunday that Washington had conveyed its response to Iran’s 14-point peace proposal via Pakistan, and that Tehran was reviewing it. A senior Iranian official said the country envisages ending hostilities on all fronts — including Israel’s attacks on Lebanon — and resolving the shipping crisis first, before addressing Iran’s nuclear programme in separate talks.
Washington has demanded Tehran relinquish its stockpile of more than 400 kg of highly enriched uranium. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful but has signalled willingness to discuss limited curbs in exchange for sanctions relief — terms similar to those in the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump withdrew from during his first term.
In a separate development, Pakistan said the US had handed over 22 crew members from an Iranian container vessel seized by American forces last month, describing the move as a confidence-building measure.
Trump faces domestic pressure to break the Hormuz deadlock, which has driven up US petrol prices and risks triggering a voter backlash against his Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.
(Reuters)
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