US president Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States would begin an effort to free up ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, gave few details about the operation, including whether the US Navy would be involved. He described the effort as a “humanitarian gesture” meant only to aid neutral countries that were not involved in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, 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 wrote in the post.
The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.
Earlier on Sunday Trump said he was reviewing Iran’s latest peace proposal but would consider resuming military strikes if Tehran were to “misbehave”. Following those comments Iran said it was considering a US response to its proposals.
The US president told reporters earlier in the weekend he still wanted to “eliminate” Iran’s missile-production capacity, as the regime’s remaining capabilities could be a start from which it could “build up again”.
Asked if he could restart military strikes, Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday: “If they misbehave, if they do something bad – but right now, we’ll see. It’s a possibility that could happen, certainly.”
On Sunday evening, Iran said it had received the US response to its 14-point plan and was “reviewing” it.
Iran’s suggestions in its plan include setting a one-month deadline on talks for a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end both the US naval blockade and the fighting in Iran and Lebanon, Axios reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
If such a pact were reached, another month of discussions would then begin in an attempt to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to Axios.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported the proposal called for a complete end to the conflict within 30 days along with guarantees against renewed strikes. It said the plan reiterates Tehran’s earlier demands, including that US forces withdraw from near Iran, a maritime blockade be lifted, sanctions removed and reparations paid. The nuclear issue wasn’t mentioned.
On Sunday, Iran said it received the US response to its plan via Pakistan, which has been acting as an intermediary, and is reviewing it, according to Iranian TV, which cited a foreign ministry spokesman. The report didn’t offer details about what the US said.
Hostilities in the US-Israeli war against Iran have been on pause since a ceasefire, which has since been extended, came into effect on April 7th. US efforts to broker a lasting end to the war, which began at the end of February, have foundered.
Trump oscillated in his remarks to reporters on Saturday, entertaining the idea of resuming the war – now in its 10th week – while acknowledging he was reviewing the proposal put forward by Tehran to end the war.
“We’re doing very well with regard to Iran. They want to make a deal,” he told reporters.
Trump later posted on social media that he would “soon be reviewing” the Iranian plan, but added he was sceptical it would form the basis of a deal.
“Can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to travel to Pakistan last weekend for talks. But the trip was cancelled at the last minute by Trump, who has sought to blame disarray within Iranian leadership for holding up negotiations.
On Sunday, treasury secretary Scott Bessent claimed the US blockade was “suffocating the regime”.
“They are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade,” he told Fox News. “No ships are getting through.”
Bessent said that the UAE’s announcement that it was leaving Opec made him optimistic oil prices will be “much lower” after the war is finished.
“We can see in the futures market that oil prices are already lower three … six months out,” he said. – The Financial Times Limited/Bloomberg/Reuters