Washington DC [US], May 5 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) said that the American forces had destroyed 'seven' small vessels linked to Iran, escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz under 'Project Freedom.'

In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Iran had targeted 'unrelated nations' in relation to ship movements, including an incident involving a South Korean cargo vessel, and suggested Seoul should consider joining the US-led effort.

'We've shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, 'fast' Boats. It's all they have left,' Trump wrote.

He added that, aside from the South Korean vessel incident, there had been no further damage reported in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments.

He said, 'Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, Project Freedom, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission! We've shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, 'fast' Boats. It's all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, will have a News Conference tomorrow morning.'

Trump also announced that US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine would hold a press conference on the developments on Tuesday morning (local time).

An explosion followed by a fire struck a Panama-flagged vessel operated by South Korea's HMM Co. while it was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, with authorities investigating whether the incident was caused by an external attack, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Citing government officials, Yonhap reported that the blast occurred at around 8:40 p.m. (local time) on Monday in waters near the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals, and no casualties have been reported so far, the ministry said.

The cause of the explosion and the extent of the damage remain under investigation.

In another Truth Social post, Trump shared a graphic portraying a stark comparison between US and Iranian military capabilities. The image depicted US naval, air, and missile defence forces as '100% operational,' while showing Iran's military assets as 'destroyed.' It also featured an image of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei marked with a red 'X' and labelled 'dead.'

The Truth Social post comes as Trump's Project Freedom was launched on Sunday (local time).

US media outlets The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), CNN and Axios have emphasised Trump's chosen word of 'guide' rather than 'escort' to describe how his new naval mission will work in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump explained that various nations had reached out for American help to ensure their ships could navigate out of the strategic waterway safely.

Trump noted that these requests came from 'Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see.'

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei had confirmed that officials are currently assessing a counter-proposal from the United States aimed at halting the ongoing conflict, according to a report by Al Jazeera. (ANI)