President Trump announced that starting from Monday, the U.S. will guide some stranded neutral ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that if humanitarian assistance is obstructed, the U.S. will respond forcefully. He also said that the U.S. is having “very active” discussions with Iran, which could lead to favorable results, but he previously added that Iran’s latest peace proposal is “unacceptable.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said that starting from Monday, the U.S. will guide some neutral ships stranded in the Persian Gulf out of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, Trump posted on social media that the move is purely to rescue those completely innocent people, businesses, and countries—victims trapped by the situation. He also said that if this humanitarian action is interfered with in any way, the U.S. will unfortunately have to respond with force.

Trump said that U.S. representatives are holding “very active discussions” with Iran, which could ultimately bring about a result that is “very beneficial” to all parties, but he did not disclose any further details.

In announcing this latest action in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the plan is named “Project Freedom.” On the ships being helped, there are large crews, and during their wait for safe passage through the strait, their food and other essentials have been running low. He also said that multiple countries have requested U.S. assistance to help resolve the situation of their ships.

Trump wrote that all relevant countries stated they will not allow their ships to return unless navigation safety in the area and other aspects are restored to normal conditions.

According to a senior U.S. official, this new initiative, which Trump calls “Project Freedom,” is designed to allow countries, insurance companies, and shipping organizations to coordinate the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The official said that the plan currently does not involve U.S. Navy warships escorting ships through the strait.

At present, hundreds of oil tankers, bulk carriers, and cargo ships remain stranded in the Gulf region. Because there is nowhere to store newly supplied oil, several countries in the region have significantly shut down their oil production facilities.

The Strait of Hormuz lies south of Iran. About one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas is typically transported through this waterway. With the strait blocked, energy prices have surged. This has prompted concern in the White House: amid high oil prices facing the public, the Republican Party may suffer major setbacks in the midterm elections in November.

At the heart of the standoff remains the Strait of Hormuz. After Iran effectively closed the strait, the U.S. imposed a maritime blockade on Iranian ports, seeking to further squeeze Iran’s economic space and cut off its oil exports.

WTI crude oil opened 2.7% lower on Monday, at 101.3 dollars per barrel as of the time of publication.

Trump says Iran’s “new proposal” is unacceptable

Earlier, Trump had hinted that Iran’s latest peace plan might still be insufficient to satisfy him. At present, efforts aimed at ending the conflict have not made progress.

On the evening of May 3 local time, Trump said in a phone interview that Iran’s new proposal is unacceptable. Trump said, “This is unacceptable to me. I’ve studied it. I’ve studied everything—this is unacceptable.”

Citing a report from Iran’s state television that quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Iran said on Sunday that it is reviewing the U.S. response to its recently submitted 14-point plan.

On May 3 local time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei stated on the day that the U.S. had responded to Iran’s “14-point proposal” via Pakistan, and Iran is currently reviewing it. Baghaei pointed out that Iran’s proposal is to reach an understanding within 30 days to fully end the war and agree on how to implement it, focusing on ending conflicts on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Baghaei also said, “At this stage, there are no nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.” Baghaei also said that claims about Iran removing mines in the Strait of Hormuz are “inaccurate.”

According to CCTV International News, on the afternoon of May 3 local time, based on a report by Al Jazeera, the latest negotiating proposal put forward by Iran includes three phases:

Among them, the first phase includes: “turning a ceasefire into a comprehensive ceasefire within 30 days,” “setting out principles for an international mechanism that can guarantee that hostilities will not resume,” “achieving a ceasefire across all regions and with both sides pledging not to violate the ceasefire, including Iran’s regional allies and Israel,” “gradually lifting the blockade on Iran’s ports in a manner appropriate to gradually opening the Strait of Hormuz,” “with Iran taking responsibility for clearing mines,” “revising Iran’s previous proposals on compensation and related matters,” and “U.S. forces withdrawing from waters around Iran and halting the buildup of new forces.”

The second phase, in turn, includes: “discussions on fully halting uranium enrichment for a maximum period of 15 years,” “after the deadline expires, Iran resuming uranium enrichment in accordance with the zero-inventory principle,” and the like. At the same time, the proposal opposes dismantling or destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities. As for the existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the proposal includes options such as transferring it abroad or diluting the uranium enrichment ratio. The proposal also involves gradually lifting economic sanctions against Iran.

In the third phase, Iran will conduct strategic talks together with countries in the region to discuss how to build a security system covering the entire region.