Trump says US to help ships stranded in Strait of Hormuz as tanker hit by projectiles

By Parisa Hafezi and Jacob Bogage

DUBAI/DORAL, Florida, May 4 (Reuters) - A tanker reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime security organisation said on Monday, shortly after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would start helping free ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Trump provided few details about the plan, which he said would start on Monday to aid ships and their crews that have been "locked up" in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.

"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," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.

Hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the strait during the conflict, according to the International Maritime Organization.

U.S. Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 U.S. military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft along with warships and drones. The operation aims to "restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping" through the strait, CENTCOM said in a statement.

“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.

Soon after Trump's comments, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker had reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait.

UKMTO said all crew were reported safe in the incident, which occurred 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates.

Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months, sending energy prices soaring. Some vessels attempting to transit the Strait have reported being fired on, and Iran seized several other ships. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

The Trump administration has been seeking help from other countries to form an international coalition to secure shipping in the strait. CENTCOM said the latest effort would combine "diplomatic action with military coordination."

It was not immediately clear which countries the U.S. operation would aid or how the operation would work. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump threatened that any interference with the U.S. operation would "have to be dealt with forcefully."

Iran said on Sunday it had received a U.S. response to its latest offer for peace talks a day after Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because "they have not paid a big enough price."

Trump, responding to shouted questions from reporters, said on Sunday evening that talks were going "very well" without elaborating.

IRAN REVIEWING U.S. RESPONSE ON PEACE PROPOSAL

Iranian state media reported that 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 U.S. response.

"At this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations," state media quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying, 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.

On Saturday, Trump said he had yet to review the exact wording of the Iranian peace proposal, but that he was likely to reject it.

The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, and U.S. and Iranian officials held one round of talks. But attempts to set up further meetings have so far failed.

IRAN'S PROPOSAL VS WASHINGTON'S DEMANDS

The proposal to delay talks on nuclear issues until a later phase would appear at odds with Washington's repeated demand that Iran accept stringent restrictions on its nuclear program before the war can end.

Washington wants Tehran to give up its stockpile of more than 400 kg (900 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, which the United States says could be used to make a bomb. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful although it is willing to discuss some curbs in return for the lifting of sanctions. It had accepted such curbs in a 2015 deal that Trump abandoned.

While saying repeatedly he is in no hurry, Trump is under domestic pressure to break Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked off 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies and pushed up U.S. gasoline prices. Trump's Republican Party faces the risk of a voter backlash over higher prices in midterm congressional elections in November.

Iranian media said Tehran's 14-point proposal includes withdrawing U.S. forces from nearby areas, lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, paying compensation, lifting sanctions, ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon, and creating a new control mechanism for the strait.