US airline falls due to kerosene prices
PARAMARIBO – The United States will today launch an initiative to “escort” stranded ships out of the Iranian-occupied Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said. He gave few details about the action to help hundreds of ships and some 20,000 seafarers. Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries have been affected by the war with Iran, and “we have told these countries that we will divert their ships safely out of these closed waterways so they can continue their work freely and unimpeded.” “Project Freedom” would launch in the Middle East on Monday morning, Trump said, adding that his representatives are holding talks with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for everyone.”
To suggest
Trump’s announcements come as Iran is studying counter-proposals from the US. Earlier, Iraq had sent a proposal to the Pakistani mediators and the US sent its response. Iran’s 14-point plan calls on the US to lift sanctions on Iran, end the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw troops from the region and cease all hostilities, including Israeli operations in Lebanon, according to the semi-official news agencies Nour News and Tasnim, which have close ties to Iranian security services. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Army Chief continue to encourage the US and Iran to engage in direct talks. Tehran is studying the US response to the latest proposal to end the war, said Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, quoted by Iran’s Mizan news agency. But “at this stage there are no nuclear negotiations,” Baghaei said. Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium have long been at the heart of tensions with the US, but Tehran would rather tackle this later. The Iranian proposal wants other issues to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, state-affiliated media said. Trump said Saturday he was studying the proposal but expressed doubts whether it would lead to an agreement.
Victims
Iran’s de facto closure of the street, which was imposed after the US and Israel started the war on February 28, has roiled global markets. Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war. Crew members described to the Associated Press news agency how they saw intercepted drones and missiles explode over the water and how they ran out of drinking water, food and other supplies. “They are victims of the circumstances,” Trump wrote, describing the action as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern countries, but especially Iran.” But he warned: “If this humanitarian process is hampered in any way, unfortunately, strong action will have to be taken.” Trump’s statement was quickly shared by some Iranian media, which labeled his announcement as an “assertion.” Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was studying the US response to the latest proposal to end the war. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.
To attack
Earlier on Sunday, a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz reported being attacked by several small vessels. It was the latest in a series of at least two dozen attacks in and around the street since the start of the war with Iran. All crew members of the unidentified cargo ship, which was sailing north, were unharmed after the attack off the coast of Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the British monitoring service said. Iranian officials claim they control the strait and allow ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel to pass if they pay tolls, challenging freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law. Tehran has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships, and the threat level in the area remains critical. Iranian patrol boats, some of which are powered by only two outboard engines, are small, agile and difficult to detect. Trump last month ordered the US military to shoot down and destroy small Iranian boats laying mines in the strait. The British military monitor also reported on Sunday that reports had arrived that ships near Ras al-Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates’ northernmost emirate and close to the strait, had received radio warnings to leave their anchorages. It was not clear who sent the messages.
Big victim
In the meantime, the largest corporate casualty has occurred as a result of the war. The American airline Spirit Airlines has announced that it will immediately cease all operations. The budget airline ran into financial problems due to high fuel prices as a result of the war in the Middle East. Discussions with the US government about emergency aid came to nothing. Spirit Airlines is now disbanding itself. The airline was also having difficulties before the war in the Middle East. Since last year, the company has been negotiating with creditors about a new start after bankruptcy, but the sharp increase in fuel prices thwarted those plans. The Trump administration recently said it was investigating whether it could buy Spirit Airlines. According to those involved, the government was willing to provide $500 million in financing in exchange for 90 percent of the airline’s shares. Spirit Airlines mainly operated domestic flights in the United States and also flew to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company employed just under 9,700 permanent employees last year.
