India, May 5 -- The United States kicked off an effort to "guide" stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, as it tries to counter economic disruptions that outlasted the peak of fighting with no peace deal in sight.

A day after US President Donald Trump announced what he called "Project Freedom," the Joint Maritime Information Centre said Monday that the US had set up an "enhanced security area" south of typical shipping routes and urged mariners to coordinate closely with Omani authorities "due to anticipated high traffic volume." The Strait sits between Iranian and Omani territory.

The centre warned that passing close to the usual routes, known as the traffic separation scheme, "should be considered extremely hazardous d...