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Donald Trump opened a new chapter in the Middle East conflict by announcing “Operation Freedom” for the Strait of Hormuz. He said the US would escort third-country ships out of the strait, with the aim of ensuring freedom of navigation.
Hours after the US president's announcement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) unveiled the forces that will take part in the operation. These are reportedly "guided missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 armed forces personnel."
For its part, Iran responded with a warning that "any American interference in the new maritime regime in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire."
In his statement, Donald Trump explained that the decision was made after requests from countries not involved in the conflict, which sought US help to remove their ships from the Strait of Hormuz. As he said, these are ships of "neutral and innocent observers" who are not involved in hostilities.
The US president stressed that the initiative is humanitarian in nature, as many of the ships are facing shortages of food and supplies. Washington, he said, is committed to safely removing the ships from restricted maritime areas so that they can continue their commercial activities without hindrance.
According to two US officials cited by Axios, the operation will not necessarily involve US Navy ships. However, they said, the warships will be “in the area” to deter potential attacks from Iran while providing information to merchant ships on safe routes.
The new mechanism operates as a coordination effort between countries, insurance companies and shipping organizations, without currently involving U.S. warships. Diplomats and European shipowners recalled the U.S. president’s previous failed attempts to mobilize NATO allies to send naval forces.
Without an escort of warships, this new initiative is considered difficult to significantly change the situation in the Strait.
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