WORLD NEWS: Trump announces unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz this Monday, Iran threatens
Sources confirm that the following story has emerged from the international scene.
New uncertainties and tension around the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump announced an operation starting Monday to unblock ships blocked for two months in the Gulf, but the Iranian military command warned that in this case it would attack the American army. The American president, who launched hostilities against Iran on February 28 with Israel, spoke on Sunday evening of “a humanitarian gesture” and “good will” in favor of sailors stranded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Starting Monday morning local time, the American navy will escort through the Strait of Hormuz ships from countries “which have nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East”, Trump announced. However, he warned that if this operation, called Project Freedom, were to be hampered by Iran, this “would unfortunately have to be dealt with by force”, while welcoming at the same time “very positive” discussions with Tehran through Pakistan. Destroyers, planes and 15,000 American soldiers mobilized Iran responded on Monday by threatening the American army. “We warn any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, that if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, they will be targeted and attacked,” said General Ali Abdollahi, head of the Armed Forces Command. “Any American intervention in the new maritime regime in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire” which came into force on April 8, previously warned chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s committee on national security, Ebrahim Azizi. In a statement, the American military command for the Middle East (Centcom) specified that the operation announced by Donald Trump would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than a hundred aircraft and 15,000 soldiers. Since the start of hostilities, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil consumption usually passes. Washington responded at the beginning of April by in turn blocking Iranian ports. The blockade of the strait caused oil prices to soar to the highest since 2022 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prices stabilized on Monday on Asian markets, with a barrel of Brent, the world benchmark, gaining 0.39% to 108.59 dollars, far from the 126 dollars exceeded Thursday. Nearly 1,000 ships and 20,000 sailors stranded in Hormuz The number of commercial ships present in the Gulf stood at 913 on April 29, including 270 oil tankers and a fifty gas vessels, the company specializing in maritime monitoring AXSMarine said on Thursday. Some 20,000 sailors would be affected, according to a senior official from the British maritime security agency UKMTO. Since the start of the war, which left thousands dead, especially in Iran and Lebanon, Tehran has established de facto rights of passage to cross the strait. The situation has been blocked since the ceasefire of April 8, after almost 40 days of Israeli-American strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation in the region. Between the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear aspect, the points of contention remain significant and efforts to relaunch negotiations have failed, despite a first direct meeting in Pakistan on April 11. To give the discussions another chance, Tehran submitted a new proposal to Washington, which responded to it, Iranian diplomacy said on Sunday.
What This Means:
This development could have far-reaching consequences for global politics in the months ahead.
The implications of this story extend beyond borders and could affect millions of people globally.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story continues to unfold.
Source: This article was originally published in another language by 20Minutes – Actu Monde and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.