Trump says the US will 'guide' stranded ships from the Strait of Hormuz,
starting on Monday
[May 04, 2026]
By ADAM SCHRECK, MELANIE LIDMAN and CARA ANNA
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States will launch an
effort on Monday to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait
of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said, as two ships around the strait
reported attacks.
Trump gave few details about what could be a sweeping attempt to help
hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Iran quickly denounced
the move as a ceasefire violation.
Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent”
countries have been affected by the Iran war, and “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.”
“Project Freedom” would begin on Monday morning in the Middle East,
Trump said, adding that his representatives are having discussions with
Iran that could lead to something “very positive for all.”
U.S. Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile
destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. The
Pentagon did not immediately answer questions about how they would be
deployed.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, imposed after the U.S. and
Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, has shaken global markets.
Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have
been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Crew members have
described to The Associated Press seeing intercepted drones and missiles
explode over the waters as their vessels run low on drinking water, food
and other supplies. Many sailors come from India and other countries in
South and Southeast Asia.
“They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote, and described the
effort as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle
Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.” But he
sounded a warning: “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is
interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt
with forcefully.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called Trump's announcement part of
his “delirium,” and Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security
commission of Iran's parliament, said on X that any interference in the
strait would be seen as a ceasefire violation.
Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing the U.S. response to
its latest proposal to end the war and made clear these are not nuclear
negotiations. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.
Cargo ships attacked near the strait
Earlier Sunday, a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was
attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom
Maritime Trade Operations center reported, while another ship was hit by
“unknown projectiles.” They were the latest in at least two dozen
attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began, and a
reminder of the risks if the new U.S. effort goes forward.
No injuries were reported.
They were the first reported attacks in the area since April 22. Tehran
has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships,
and the threat level in the area remains critical.
The first ship was an unidentified cargo ship traveling north near Sirik,
Iran, east of the strait, the British monitor said. Iranian officials
have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated
with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll,
challenging the freedom of navigation guaranteed by international law.
Iran denied an attack, the semiofficial Iranian outlets Fars and Tabnak
reported, and said a passing ship had been stopped for a documents check
as part of monitoring.
Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are
small, nimble and hard to detect. Trump last month ordered the U.S.
military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in
the strait.
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A woman reacts to the camera at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar,
Iran, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The second ship was a tanker that reported being struck around 11:40
p.m. Sunday while off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
The British military monitor also said Sunday that ships near Ras
al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate in the United Arab Emirates and
close to the strait, reported receiving radio warnings to move from
anchorages. It was not clear who sent the VHF messages.
Iran reviews US response to its latest proposal
Tehran is reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal to end
the war, Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency cited Foreign Ministry
spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying.
But “at this stage, we have no nuclear negotiations,” Baghaei said.
Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium have long been the
central issue in tensions with the U.S., but Tehran would rather
address it later.
Iran’s proposal wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims
to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s
state-linked media. Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the
proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.
Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on
Iran, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing
forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including
Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour
News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran's security
organizations.
Pakistan's prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue
to encourage the U.S. and Iran to speak directly, according to two
officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to speak to the media. Pakistan hosted
face-to-face talks last month and has passed messages between the
two sides.
Iran stands firm on Strait of Hormuz
Trump has offered a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where about
a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas typically
passes, along with fertilizer badly needed by farmers around the
world and other petroleum-derived products.
Tehran “will not back down from our position on the Strait of
Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions,” Iran’s
deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, said earlier Sunday.
The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for
paying Iran in any form, including digital assets, to transit the
strait safely.
Meanwhile, the U.S. naval blockade since April 13 is depriving
Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The
U.S. Central Command on Sunday said 49 commercial ships have been
told to turn back.
“We think that they’ve gotten less than $1.3 million in tolls, which
is a pittance on their previous daily oil revenues,” U.S. Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday. He said Iran's oil
storage is rapidly filling up and "they’re going to have to start
shutting in wells, which we think could be in the next week.”
___
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Lowville, New
York. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Mike
Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad
contributed to this report.
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