Trump says U.S. to begin guiding ships out of Strait of Horm

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States will begin guiding ships out of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, Middle East time.

Calling the action "Project Freedom," Trump said it is "a humanitarian gesture."

"Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with -- They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!" Trump said on Truth Social.

"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 said.

Many of these ships are running low on food and everything else necessary for large-scale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner, Trump added.

He warned that if "this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully."

Trump's announcement came as Iran said Sunday it has received and is reviewing the U.S. response to its 14-point peace proposal, though Trump said Saturday he "can't imagine that it (the plan) would be acceptable."

In an interview with state-run IRIB TV, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that Iran's proposal exclusively focused on ending the war, and "nothing pertaining to the nuclear field's details exists in it."