President Donald Trump has announced that “Project Freedom,” the operation in which the US military would guide commercial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, would be paused for “a short period of time.”
Trump announced the decision in a social media post, saying the latest operation would pause for a short period to see whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war in the Middle East could be finalized.
Trump said that the move was based “on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.” However, the US President said that the blockade would remain in full force.
Prior to his announcement, Trump told reporters at the White House that the US’s military and economic action was forcing Tehran to the negotiating table despite its defiant public stance.
“Iran wants to make a deal. What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television. They’ll say, ‘We did not speak to the President.’
“So they play games. But let me just tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn’t? When your military is totally gone, we could do anything we want to them.”
Donald Trump
Trump’s announcement came as tensions escalated in the Gulf, with the US military saying it destroyed several Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as cruise missiles and drones. The United Arab Emirates said its air defences dealt with missile and drone attacks from Iran for a second day, while another commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz reported being hit by an “unknown projectile.”
For its part, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a new map of the strait, with an expanded area of Iranian control, and warned vessels on Tuesday to stick to the corridors it has set or face a “decisive response.”
The maritime chokepoint, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies normally pass, has been effectively sealed by Iran since the US and Israel launched their war on the country on February 28. Following a ceasefire in April, the US imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports in a bid to compel Tehran to agree to Washington’s terms in peace talks mediated by Pakistan, including reopening the key waterway and halting all nuclear enrichment.
The closure of the strait has disrupted global trade, causing oil and fertiliser prices to soar and prompting fears of a global recession and a food emergency.
US Insists Ceasefire In Force
Meanwhile, US officials insisted the nearly month-old ceasefire was still holding.
US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon that the renewed violence in the Strait of Hormuz does not constitute a breach of the four-week-old truce.
“American forces won’t need to enter Iranian waters. It’s not necessary. We’re not looking for a fight. But Iran cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from international waterways. Right now, the ceasefire certainly holds, but we’re going to be watching very, very closely.”
Pete Hegseth
Before the Trump announcement, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio told a White House press briefing that while the conflict is not resolved, the initial major US military operation against Iran; Operation Epic Fury, has concluded.
He asserted that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump’s demands on its nuclear program and also agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “We would prefer the path of peace,” Rubio said.
Rubio also described the day-old US push to reopen the strait to maritime traffic as a defensive operation, aimed at helping thousands of civilian sailors stranded there by the war. “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first, OK?” Rubio said, adding, “We’re not attacking them.”
“They’re sitting ducks, they’re isolated, they’re starving, they’re vulnerable. At least 10 sailors have already died as a result.”
Marco Rubio
On Monday, the US said it had opened a lane and sunk six small Iranian boats that had threatened commercial ships. So far, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the new US-guarded route, with hundreds more bottled up in the Persian Gulf.
