Trump announces a unlocking of the Strait of Hormuz this Monday, Iran threatens.

New uncertainties and tension around the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump has announced an operation starting Monday to unblock ships that have been stuck in the Gulf for two months, but the Iranian military command has warned that it would attack the American army in that case. The American president, who initiated hostilities against Iran on February 28 with Israel, mentioned on Sunday evening a “humanitarian gesture” and “good will” towards the sailors blocked by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Starting Monday morning local time, the US Navy will escort ships from countries “that have nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East” through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump announced. However, he warned that if this operation, named Project Freedom, were to be hindered by Iran, it “unfortunately should be handled by force,” while also welcoming “very positive discussions” with Tehran through the intermediary of Pakistan.

Destroyers, aircraft, and 15,000 American soldiers mobilized

Iran responded on Monday by threatening the American military. “We warn all foreign military forces, especially the aggressive American military: if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, they will be targeted and attacked,” said General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the armed forces command. “Any American intervention in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire” that came into effect on April 8, previously warned Ebrahim Azizi, president of the Iranian Parliament’s national security commission.

In a statement, the US Central Command for the Middle East clarified that the operation announced by Donald Trump would involve missile-launching destroyers, over a hundred aircraft, and 15,000 soldiers. Since the beginning of hostilities, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil consumption usually transits. Washington responded by blocking Iranian ports in early April.

The blockade of the strait has caused oil prices to soar to the highest since 2022 and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Prices stabilized on Monday in Asian markets, with a barrel of Brent, the global benchmark, inching up 0.39% to $108.59, far from the $126 surpassed on Thursday.

Nearly 1,000 ships and 20,000 sailors blocked in Ormuz

The number of commercial ships in the Gulf stood at 913 on April 29, including 270 tankers and around fifty gas ships, as reported by the maritime monitoring company AXSMarine. Approximately 20,000 sailors are said to be affected, according to a senior official from the UK Maritime Security Agency.

Since the beginning of the war, which has caused thousands of deaths, especially in Iran and Lebanon, Tehran has de facto established passage rights to cross the strait. The situation has been blocked since the ceasefire on April 8, after almost 40 days of Israeli-American strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliations in the region.

Disagreements remain significant between the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear aspect, and efforts to restart negotiations have failed, despite a first direct meeting in Pakistan on April 11. To give discussions another chance, Tehran has submitted a new proposal to Washington, and the Iranian diplomacy announced on Sunday that it has responded.