President Donald Trump announced the launch of Project Freedom, an operation intended to rescue approximately 23,000 civilians from 87 countries who are reportedly stranded and abandoned in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian regime.

“For more than two months now, these innocent sailors and commercial crew members have been stranded out at sea” due to because Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a White House press conference, News.Az reports, citing Voice of America.

These ships are running out of food, potable water, and essential supplies.

Many nations have asked the United States to help free their ships and to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has answered the call by directing the United States military to guide these stranded ships to safety. Secretary Rubio stressed that “this is a defensive operation.” He added, there will be “no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

Approximately a quarter of the world’s oil trade, along with significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer transit the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway. But Iran continues to threaten to mine the Strait and blow up ships that try to go through the Strait. “It’s completely illegal, completely illegitimate, and completely unacceptable,” declared Secretary Rubio. “And that’s why the United States military is guiding stranded commercial ships safely through the strait and is working to restore freedom of navigation and putting an end to these efforts to hold the global economy hostage.”

Several U.S. flag merchant ships have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz in the first stages of this project and are now safely on their way, announced Secretary Rubio. The U.S. military is deploying the necessary assets to extend this defensive umbrella over commercial shipping.

Many Iranian fast boats that failed to heed U.S. military warnings have already been destroyed, added Secretary Rubio.

At the same time, Operation Economic Fury continues to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and what remains of their already frail economy. Inflation in Iran has reached 70 percent, and their currency is in total freefall, as U.S. sanctions enforcement is stepping up.

The blockade alone is costing Iran as much as $500 million a day in lost revenue. Ninety percent of total Iranian trade has been halted, causing permanent damage to Iran’s oil infrastructure as wells are forced to shut down.

The United States holds all the cards. Every day the conflict continues, U.S. leverage on Iran will increase and their position will weaken further, especially as the blockade begins to bite in conjunction with the sanctions.

So, the time has come for Iran to choose peace. “The alternative,” said Secretary Rubio, “is growing isolation, economic collapse, and ultimately total defeat. I know what the right choice is for Iran. I hope that the people over there making decisions will make the right one.”

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli