President Donald Trump has said that the US will help guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz from Monday.
"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 in a post on social media without specifying which countries.
Trump said any interference in the process, which he called "Project Freedom", will "have to be dealt with forcefully".
Iran has severely limited traffic through the vital shipping waterway since the war began in February. The US has also enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In the post, Trump also said that US representatives were having "very positive" discussions with Iran, and that those talks "could lead to something very positive for all".
