Trump says operation will start Monday to help stranded ships leave Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Chairman Donald ruff says a cast testament take up on Monday to help stranded ships leave the Strait of Hormuz, but he offered few details.

In a social media post, Trump said on Sunday that "neutral and innocent" countries have been affected by the Iran war, and "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 "Project Freedom" would begin Monday morning in the Middle East. Trump added that his representatives are having discussions with Iran that could lead to something "very positive for all."

The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.

Earlier on Sunday, a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz was reportedly attacked by multiple small craft, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. It marked at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the war began, when the U.S. And Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

All crew on the unidentified northbound carrier were safe after the attack off Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the monitor said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the monitor said. It's the first reported in the area since April 22, when three cargo ships were attacked in the strait, with Iran seizing two of them.

Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are small, nimble and hard to detect and have attacked several ships. Trump ordered the U.S. Military last month to "shoot and kill" small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the strait.

A fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding, though Trump on Saturday told journalists that further strikes remained a possibility.

Iran's latest proposal to the U.S. Wants issues between them to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran's state-linked media.

Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal, saying on social media that "they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years" since the Islamic Revolution there.

Iran's 14-point proposal also calls for the U.S. Lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the U.S. Naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel's operations in Lebanon, according to the semi-official Nour News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran's security organizations.

How Strait of Hormuz shutdown caused history's biggest oil crisis

There was no mention in those reports, however, of Iran's nuclear program and its enriched uranium, long the central issue in tensions with the U.S. And one that Tehran would rather address later.

Iran sent its reply via Pakistan, which hosted face-to-face talks last month between Iran and the U.S.

Pakistan's prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue to encourage the U.S. And Iran to speak directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his counterpart from Oman, Badr al-Busaidi, who oversaw previous rounds of talks before the war.

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