Trump announced the escort of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. What the media is writing
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- Trump announced the escort of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. What the media is writing
US President Donald Trump has announced that ships blocked in the Persian Gulf will be escorted through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Iran threatened to attack any warships that would send convoys. The White House admits that they will withdraw merchant ships without using military force. How the media reacts to Trump's new initiative is in the Izvestia digest.
Bloomberg: The United States will begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump has announced that from May 4, the United States will begin sending some neutral vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. He did not specify exactly what steps he would take to assist in exiting the strait. The US Central Command announced on May 3 that it would provide military support to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz using guided missile destroyers, aircraft and drones.
Bloomberg
"The movement of the ships is designed only to free people, companies and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — they have become victims of circumstances,— Trump wrote [on May 3] in a message on social media. "If this humanitarian process is hindered in any way, then, unfortunately, this intervention will have to be fought by force."
According to an American official, Trump's new initiative does not involve support from the US Navy, but rather a coordination process involving countries, insurance companies and shipping organizations. Trump also said that U.S. representatives are conducting "very positive negotiations" with Iran, which can lead to "very positive results for everyone," but did not provide additional details.
Reuters: Iran has threatened the US Navy to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz
On May 4, the Iranian military warned American forces against entering the Strait of Hormuz after Trump announced that the United States would begin providing assistance in freeing ships stranded in the Persian Gulf as a result of the US-Israeli war against Iran. The head of the White House provided few details about the plan to provide assistance to ships and their crews, who have been trapped in this vital waterway and have been experiencing food shortages for more than two months since the conflict began.
Reuters
"We have repeatedly stated that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels must be coordinated with the armed forces," Ali Abdollahi, head of the joint Command of the armed forces, said in a statement. "We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they attempt to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz."
According to the International Maritime Organization, hundreds of ships and up to 20,000 sailors were unable to pass through the strait during the conflict. Shortly after Trump's comments, the British Maritime Trade Operations Agency reported that his tanker had reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait. All crew members are safe, but details of the incident are not yet available.
Axios: Trump's new initiative will not necessarily include naval escorts
Trump said that the US Navy would begin sending foreign ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that if Iran tried to disrupt this process, the US military would use force. According to two American officials, the new White House initiative will not necessarily include escorting merchant ships with ships of the American fleet.
Axios
One of the officials said that the US Navy ships would be "in close proximity" in case they needed to prevent attacks by the Iranian military on merchant ships passing through the strait. Officials said the U.S. Navy is going to provide commercial vessels with information about the most convenient shipping lanes in the strait, especially regarding the use of routes not mined by the Iranian military.
Trump said that many ships are running out of food and other supplies for the crews, as well as health and sanitation problems. According to him, the escort of the vessels is designed only to free people, companies and countries that "have done absolutely nothing wrong — they have become victims of circumstances." Trump called his initiative a "humanitarian gesture on the part of the United States."
CNN: Trump's new plan leaves many unanswered questions
The US Central Command said its support for the operation, dubbed Project Freedom, "will include guided missile destroyers, more than 100 land-based and sea-based aircraft, as well as multi-purpose unmanned platforms." However, exactly how these military assets will be used to resume the movement of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz has not yet been determined.
CNN
Shipping executives are not convinced that the new U.S. plan reduces risks. "Efforts by both sides, not just one, are needed to remove the obstacles," said Bjorn Hoigord, CEO of Anglo-Eastern shipping company. During the war, Washington has so far been reluctant to grant American naval ships access to the range of Iranian coastal anti-ship missiles or small attack boats, which Tehran can deploy in large numbers in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Central Command only once, on April 11, confirmed the passage of American destroyers through the strait, when two ships entered the Persian Gulf "as part of a broader mission to ensure the complete clearance of the strait from sea mines." Narrow waterways create problems when escorting convoys, since there is practically no place to maneuver and avoid threats. At the same time, the Iranian forces, which may pose a threat to escort missions, are dispersed and mostly mobile.
The New York Times: Trump is faced with the harsh reality of a costly and unpopular war in Iran
Energy markets are in a state of chaos. For the first time, the Pentagon publicly estimated the cost of the war at $25 billion. Key Republicans in Congress are losing patience. And Trump himself is lashing out at foreign allies, such as Germany, who have shown no interest in participating in the war. Trump's predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences seem to be crumbling.
The New York Times
Just three weeks ago, Trump announced that Iran had agreed to all his demands and suggested that a breakthrough was near. Iran will cooperate with the United States on the withdrawal of enriched uranium, energy prices will fall, and the growing global crisis with potentially serious political consequences will subside. None of this happened.
Washington maintains a blockade on Iranian shipping, and the Iranians refuse to comply with its demands for the transfer of enriched uranium. Trump acknowledges that military strikes may resume. The Strait of Hormuz will remain effectively closed for several weeks, complicating Trump's important trip to China in two weeks. Chinese President Xi Jinping had previously demanded that the United States reopen the waterway through which China imports about a third of its oil and gas.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
