President Donald Trump on Sunday said the US would begin escorting foreign vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz under a new "humanitarian" initiative.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said countries not involved in the Middle East conflict had asked Washington for help to free ships stranded in the strategic waterway.
“They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders. 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,” he wrote.
He said the ships could then resume normal operations, and that many vessels were low on food and essential supplies.
Mr Trump also warned that any interference with the operation would be met with force.
“If, in any way, this humanitarian process is interfered with that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he said.
Mr Trump said the effort, called “Project Freedom,” would begin on Monday morning local time in the Middle East, and that US officials were holding “very positive discussions” with Iran.
The comments come a day after he said he would study Iran's 14-point proposal, which calls for an end to the war in 30 days.
He earlier said he "can't imagine" that the proposal, which includes sanctions relief and an American withdrawal from the region, would be acceptable.
In a post on Truth Social, he said Iran had “not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, over the last 47 years.”
