The US is seeking to "rescue" thousands of civilians who have been "trapped" in the Gulf amid the stalled war with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump announced what he and his senior officials call "Project Freedom" on Sunday, vowing to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran's insistence that any transit through the critical waterway requires its prior approval.
"The goal of it is to, frankly, rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries that are trapped inside of the Gulf, and left for dead in the Persian Gulf by this Iranian regime," he told reporters at the White House.
"For more than two months now, these innocent sailors and commercial crew members have been stranded out at sea because Iran is conducting something that's not just criminal. It's criminal, for sure, but it's desperate and destructive, this blockade of the Straits of Hormuz," he added.
The top US diplomat said the US military is in the process of deploying additional assets to the region to "extend this defensive umbrella over commercial shipping."
He maintained, however, that the US operation is "defensive," saying: "If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we're not firing shots."
"But if we're fired on, we will respond, and we will respond with lethal efficiency," he said.
US forces have so far destroyed seven Iranian fast-attack vessels "that failed to heed our warnings," according to Rubio.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline. Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
Also on Tuesday, Iran introduced a new mechanism governing ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz amid the standoff with Washington over the strategic waterway.
Under the system, vessels intending to pass through the waterway receive an email from an address linked to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) informing them of transit regulations. Ships are then required to comply with the framework before receiving a transit permit, according to state-run Press TV.
Rubio reiterated continued US warnings to businesses around the world to respect Washington's sanctions on Iran and avoid any actions that may help Tehran evade the economic penalties. Any entity that refuses to comply "is going to face secondary sanctions exposure and a loss of access to the US financial system," he said.
