Iran’s military warned the United States Navy on Monday to stay out of the Strait of Hormuz and said it would “respond harshly” to any incursion, hours after President Donald Trump’s Project Freedom escort plan was set to begin.
“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,” Ali Abdollahi, head of the unified command of Iran’s armed forces, said in a statement carried by Ada Derana. He added that “the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands” and that vessel passage requires coordination with Iranian forces.
Trump on Sunday wrote on Truth Social that the United States would “guide” stranded ships out of the Gulf and warned that any interference with the operation “will have to be dealt with forcefully.” US Central Command said the mission would be supported by 15,000 personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, warships and drones, alongside the existing naval blockade of Iranian ports. Admiral Brad Cooper called the deployment “essential to regional security and the global economy.”
Soon after Trump’s announcement, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a tanker had been hit by unknown projectiles 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates. All crew were reported safe. The International Maritime Organization estimates several hundred ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit Hormuz since the war began in February.
Equity markets edged higher on Monday while crude prices held above $100 a barrel — the level that has anchored Sri Lanka’s recent fuel-price hikes and the Hormuz risk premium pushing up CPC import costs. Iran said separately that it had received Washington’s response — relayed via Pakistan — to its 14-point peace proposal and was reviewing it; Trump told reporters on Sunday evening talks were going “very well” while indicating he would probably reject the Iranian offer.
Source: Ada Derana.
