DUBAI/DORAL, Florida, May 4 (Reuters): A tanker reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime security organisation said on Monday, shortly after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would start helping free ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Trump provided few details about the plan, which he said would on Monday 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.
Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, according to the International Maritime Organization.
U.S. Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 U.S. military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft along with warships and drones. The operation aims to "restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping" through the strait, CENTCOM said in a statement.
“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.
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.
UKMTO said all crew were reported safe in the incident, which occurred 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.
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.
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 would combine "diplomatic action with military coordination."
It was not immediately clear which countries the U.S. operation would aid or how the operation would work. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump threatened that any interference with the U.S. operation would "have to be dealt with forcefully."
Iran said on Sunday it had received a U.S. response to its latest offer for peace talks a day after Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because "they have not paid a big enough price."
Trump, responding to shouted questions from reporters, said on Sunday evening that talks were going "very well" without elaborating.
Photo from Reuters
