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Iran has warned the US against entering the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from the unified command of the country's armed forces reported by state media.
It came after US President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would start escorting foreign vessels out of the waterway.
“We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran's armed forces said.
Mr Trump did not provide much detail on how this would work, but US Central Command issued a media release saying it would support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor.
“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,” Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday. He said the operation would begin on Monday.
A senior Iranian official has warned that the Islamic republic will treat any US move to escort stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the ceasefire, risking renewed tensions in the region.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliament’s National Security Commission, issued the warning after Donald Trump said the US Navy would begin escorting foreign vessels through the strait from Monday under a “humanitarian” initiative.
“Any American intervention in the process of the new Strait of Hormuz maritime system will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” Azizi wrote on X.
For more than two months, Iran has been blocking nearly all ships from accessing the Strait of Hormuz, apart from its own ships, sending energy prices soaring.
Centcom said the operation, dubbed Project Freedom, will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members, in what appears to be a significant military build-up ready to intervene in the Strait to escort ships through the Strait.
Axios reported that it may stop short of direct US Navy escorts, with warships instead staying nearby to intervene if needed and to guide commercial vessels along safer, mine-free routes.
The US operation could lead to an open conflict between Iran and American forces, but Mr Trump said neutral ships must be allowed safe passage.
It remains unclear whether ship owners and crews would take the risk to transit through the strait given the threat of attacks. Ship tracking websites did not immediately show any changes in activity.
Soon after Mr Trump's comments, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the strait.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), led by US Naval Forces Central Command, has warned that the threat level in the strait remains “critical” despite the plan to escort vessels. It said the assessment reflects heightened risks to commercial shipping linked to increased military presence, naval mine threats and navigation hazards.
It says the US has established an “enhanced security area” south of the main shipping lane, calling on ships to transit via Omani waters and co-ordinate movements over VHF radio rather than transit through the most dangerous stretch of the route.
Transit near the strait’s main Traffic Separation Scheme is described as “extremely hazardous” due to the risk of uncleared mines, underscoring the dangers facing commercial shipping.
Iranian state media said Washington had conveyed its response to Iran's 14-point proposal via Pakistan and that Tehran was now reviewing it. There was no immediate confirmation from Washington or Islamabad of the US response.
State media quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying that at this stage Iran did not have nuclear negotiations. He said Iran's talks with Oman on a protocol for the safe passage of ships through the waterway were continuing.
The comment was an apparent reference to Iran's proposal to set aside talks on nuclear issues until after the war has ended and the foes have agreed to lift opposing blockades of Gulf shipping.
The US and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, and American and Iranian officials held one round of talks. But attempts to set up further meetings have so far failed.
