Iran warns US Navy against entering Strait of Hormuz
Oil surrenders some gains after Washington denies claim that Tehran had struck an American warship
Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran, Amy Mackinnon in Washington and Alice Hancock in London
Iran has warned it will attack US Navy ships if they enter the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump announced a plan to “guide” stranded vessels through the waterway at the centre of a global energy crisis.
In an escalation of tensions, Iran said on Monday that attempts to navigate the strait without co-ordination with the Islamic republic could jeopardise their security.
“We warn foreign armed forces, particularly the US aggressor army, that if they attempt to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, they will be attacked,” said Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters.
The threat followed Trump’s announcement on Truth Social that, from Monday, the US would begin an effort to guide ships from various countries through the contested waterway in an operation called “Project Freedom”.
The strait, which is an important conduit for global supplies of oil, liquefied natural gas, plastic resin and aluminium, has been blocked by Iran since the first days of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic in late February.
On another day of volatile trading, oil prices tracked developments in the strait.
Brent crude briefly rose as much as 5.1 per cent to $113.72 after the Fars news agency reported that Iranian forces had struck a US warship as it attempted to cross the strait.
Prices fell back after US Central Command denied that an American vessel had been hit.
Brent was 2.7 per cent higher at $111.05 in New York trading.
Centcom said later on Monday that, following the start of the operation, “2 US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey”.
An estimated 1,000 commercial vessels and about 20,000 seafarers have been stranded in the Gulf since the conflict started in late February.
The US administration’s latest intervention in the strait and Tehran’s response underline how control of the waterway remains a critical flashpoint in a conflict now in its third month.
Oil traders warned that without a reopening of the strait, the market was a month away from a “tipping point” that would drive prices significantly higher.
Trump did not give details of how Project Freedom, which he cast as a humanitarian effort to help crews running low on critical supplies, would be carried out.
But he did say that attempts to obstruct the plan would be “dealt with forcefully”.
Centcom, which runs Washington’s forces in the Middle East, said that military support for Project Freedom would include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and about 15,000 service members.
In guidance issued on Monday, US Naval Command said vessels should “consider routing via Oman territorial waters” to the south of the usual shipping lanes through the waterway, which Iran had warned were mined.
Maritime executives said it remained unclear if the US would intervene in the event of any strikes on ships or how the Omani coastguard would control the flow of traffic.
The Trump administration’s plan drew a cautious response from Intertanko, the industry body representing independent tanker owners, which pointed to a lack of information on how the operation would be executed.
Phillip Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, said: “It is too early to assess whether this represents a positive step,” adding that the threat to merchant vessels from Iran remained.
Trump has lambasted the US’s Nato allies for failing to help reopen the strait.
The UK and France are attempting to lead a multinational mission to reopen the waterway if a sustained ceasefire is secured.
Tensions over the strait come as Washington and Tehran appear to have made little progress towards a permanent end to the conflict.
Hostilities have been paused since a ceasefire came into effect on April 7.
Iran confirmed on Sunday that it had received a US response to its latest peace proposal via Pakistan, which has mediated between the two countries.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, told state television that Tehran’s 14-part proposal to the US “focused solely on ending the war” in the Middle East, including in Lebanon.
“At this stage, we have no nuclear talks,” he said, referring to Iran’s nuclear programme, which the US has sought to curb.
Over the weekend, Trump cast doubt on whether Iran’s plan would form the basis of a deal, and said that he would consider resuming military strikes if Tehran were to “misbehave”.
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