The New York Times reports:

Shipping companies said on Monday that President Trump’s offer to provide them safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz fell short of the sort of arrangements that would persuade them to make the trip.

Mr. Trump said on Sunday that the United States would “guide” commercial vessels through the strait, which Iran has effectively closed since the war in the Persian Gulf started two months ago. But the president provided few details on how the program, Project Freedom, would work.

On Monday, U.S. Central Command said two American commercial ships had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, but did not give their names or say when they made their passage.

But there were reports that other ships were struck. The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of launching a drone attack on an oil tanker owned by ADNOC, its state oil company, according to the Emirati state news agency. And a South Korean cargo ship caught fire on Monday after an explosion in the strait, the South Korean foreign ministry said.

Ali Abdollahi, a top Iranian military commander, warned “all commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without coordination with the armed forces,” according to an Iranian state media report on Monday.

Fearing attacks by Iran on their vessels, shipping companies have been reluctant to send vessels through the strait. They say Iran needs to be part of any plan to move large numbers of vessels through the waterway.

Without an agreement from Iran, “there is a risk of hostilities breaking out again,” said Jakob P. Larsen, the chief safety and security officer of the Baltic and International Maritime Council, which represents companies in the maritime sector. [Continue reading…]