"This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time," US President Donald Trump said in a statement published in Truth Social.
The US will start guiding ships out of the Strait of Hormuz from Monday morning (Middle East Time), according to a Sunday statement by US President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social.
"This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time. I am fully aware that my representatives are having very positive discussions with the country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all," he said in the statement.
A source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post that on Monday afternoon, a US-led operation will begin to enable the passage of ships currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz out of the area. The operation is essentially a US-coordinated mechanism involving governments, shipping companies, and insurance firms aimed at facilitating the safe exit of vessels from the region.
“There will be no US military escorts for the ships. The U.S. military will defend the region,” the source said.
According to Trump, the operation will be centered on helping the vessels leave the Persian Gulf, with countries asking "the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait."
"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 added.
According to his statement, the ships to be escorted out "will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation," and he calls the operation a "humanitarian process" to save the crews of ships trapped in the Gulf.
"If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully," he warned at the end of the post.
The US Central Command later stated that its contribution to Project Freedom would include "guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members."
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” stated Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
Israeli journalist and Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X that, according to two US officials, this new initiative would not necessarily include US Navy ships escorting commercial ships.
He further detailed that US Navy vessels would be "in the vicinity" of the shipping lanes in case Iran attacked the tankers, while also providing the ships with information on where to sail to avoid the Iranian deep-sea mines.
Trump rejects latest Iranian proposal
Earlier on Sunday, Trump told Kan News that he had reviewed the Iranian's latest peace proposal, which is reportedly a 14-point plan to end the war in 30 days, and that it was "not acceptable."
According to Al Jazeera, the plan comprises three main stages, including a 30-day phase aimed at transforming a ceasefire into a complete end to the war. It was presented as a rebuttal to the US's nine-point peace plan.
The Iranian draft reportedly calls for the US to lift sanctions on Iran, end its blockade on Iranian ports, withdraw US forces from the region, and cease all hostilities, including Israel’s war in Lebanon, Al-Jazeera reported.
The US has reportedly responded to the proposal through Pakistani mediators, and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that the US and Iran were "in conversation."
Danya Saperstein contributed to this report.
