Iran warned that US President Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" plan to help third-country vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz "would be considered a violation of the ceasefire agreement."
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of Iran's Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, said on X (formerly Twitter) that "US intervention in the new maritime order of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire agreement." He added that "the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf are not places for rhetorical statements."
Earlier, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would launch "Project Freedom," a humanitarian initiative to help third-country vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf escape. "Countries around the world have been asking the United States if we can help free their ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz," he said, signaling that the operation would begin on the morning of the 4th Middle East time (afternoon of the 4th Korea time).
The plan aims to provide humanitarian support for approximately 2,000 oil tankers and cargo ships anchored in the Persian Gulf, where around 20,000 crew members are suffering from shortages of daily necessities. "Many of the ships are running low on food and everything needed for the large crews to stay healthy and sanitary on board," Trump said, describing the initiative as "a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern countries, and especially Iran."
Trump warned that "if this humanitarian process is obstructed in any form, we will, regrettably, have no choice but to respond forcefully to such obstruction." Meanwhile, Iran's statement that it would regard the US initiative as a violation of the ceasefire agreement has raised concerns that tensions between the two sides could escalate again.
