Iran vows to respond aggressively to Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ naval mission in Strait of Hormuz

According to Al Jazeera, the provocative statement is a direct challenge to Washington’s escalating naval presence in the region.

An official military communiqué circulated by Iran’s state media appears to be a sharp reaction to the U.S. president donald trump A naval mission was recently announced.

The U.S. operation, aimed at escorting the stranded ship out of the strategic waterway, is reportedly scheduled to begin in the coming hours.

The title of this mission is “free plan”, Donald Trump announced aid to merchant ships currently stuck in the strait.

Trump noted that the requests came from “countries around the world, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle East dispute that is so obvious and violent for all to see.”

He said the countries asked the United States if it could “help free their ships that are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz and have absolutely nothing to do with them.”

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Trump claimed that Washington would step in to ensure safe passage, insisting that the move was “for the benefit of Iran, the Middle East and the United States.”

He clarified that the United States has informed these countries that U.S. military forces “will guide their vessels safely out of these restricted waterways so that they can conduct their operations freely and ablely.”

The Iranian military said: “We will do our best to maintain and manage the security of the Strait of Hormuz. We declare to all merchant ships and oil tankers that they should not take any transit operations without the coordination of the armed forces stationed in the Strait of Hormuz to avoid compromising their security.”

Iran’s leadership positions its military as the only legitimate authority to block the chokepoint, and Al Jazeera reports that any infringement of this sovereignty will be met with a strong response.

The military added: “We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially aggressive US forces, will be attacked if they try to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”

Despite these threats, Trump emphasized that Project Freedom is focused on ships coming from areas that “have nothing to do with what’s going on in the Middle East right now.”

He confirmed that he had instructed representatives to convey that the United States “will do its utmost to allow its ships and crews to safely leave the strait.”

Once the ships clear the area, Trump said they would stay away from the area for the foreseeable future, noting that “they said they will not return until the area becomes safe for navigation and everything else.”

Learn more | US-Iran War News Highlights: Iranian Lawmaker Says ‘US Intervention in Hormuz Will Violate Ceasefire’

The mission is scheduled to begin on Monday morning (Middle East time).

Trump described the movement as a way to “liberate individuals, companies and countries who have done absolutely nothing wrong” and described the crew as “victims of circumstance.”

He called the mission “a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, the countries of the Middle East, and especially Iran,” and highlighted the deteriorating conditions on board.

“Many ships are running low on food and everything necessary for a large crew to stay on board healthily and hygienically,” he noted.

However, he issued a stern warning that if the process was “disrupted, this disruption will unfortunately have to be dealt with forcefully”.

The maritime initiative comes as Trump revealed that US officials are currently in “very active discussions” with Tehran.

He said the talks “could lead to a very positive outcome for everyone”, although he also rejected Iran’s latest conflict resolution as “unacceptable”.

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghayi confirmed that Tehran was reviewing Washington’s response to its submission.

Iran’s proposal seeks to end hostilities on multiple fronts, including in Lebanon, while requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the release of frozen assets and the lifting of sanctions, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

Although the United States advocates a two-month ceasefire, Tasnim News Agency reported that Iran is pushing for a shorter 30-day ceasefire period, prioritizing a permanent end to the war rather than a temporary truce.

Al Jazeera pointed out that as the two countries deployed important assets to the Gulf region, the Iranian military’s remarks continued to highlight the unstable nature of the standoff. (Arnie)