Trump temporarily halts US naval activity in the Strait of Hormuz to see if an Iran deal can be reached.
President Trump said on Tuesday that he still has it Project Freedom has been temporarily suspended – an American effort announced over the weekend to steer commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz – to see if the United States can strike a deal with Iran.
The president announced this topic in a Truth Social post, writing that the project has been suspended “for a short time” because the US and Iran have made “Great Progress … He said he took this decision at the request of Pakistan, which has been mediating negotiations between the United States and Iran.
The US blockade of Iranian ports will continue, said Mr. Trump.
Project Freedom was launched by Mr. Trump late Sunday and began working the next morning. He described it as a way to help commercial ships navigate the Strait of Hormuz, a 21-mile chokepoint that often carries a fifth of the world’s oil. Since the US launched strikes on Iran in late February, Iran has sought control of the route, and shipping has declined, it said. global oil prices are rising.
Shortly after the start of the operation, the US military helped two American-owned ships pass through the port, US Central Command said. The military said on Monday it had reached dozens of other passengers stranded in the Persian Gulf, describing them as “neutral and innocent” in the conflict.
The U.S. military says it has also removed Iranian mines from another part of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, and he started ordering commercial vessels to use that route on Monday.
Iranian officials reacted angrily to Project Freedom, testing the US-Iran deal that had already been shaken last month. Iran has warned any ship that tries to cross without its permission will be targeted.
On Monday, two US Navy destroyers crossing the Strait of Hormuz encountered a barrage of Iranian missiles, drones and boats, CBS News reported. The ships were not hit due to defensive measures and air support, defense officials said.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command, said on Monday that Iran began attacking US military and commercial vessels, which led the US to destroy six small Iranian boats. Iran denied that its boats were destroyed, and Iranian state media claimed that Iran had successfully hit a US warship, which the US said was false.
Attacks have also been reported on several non-US commercial vessels in recent days, including cargo ship owned by a French company, too oil tanker from Abu Dhabi’s national energy company. And the United Arab Emirates reported an Iranian drone and missile attack on Monday.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump warned Monday that Iran would be “blasted off the face of the earth” if it meddled in the crisis.
Trump administration officials say the ceasefire remains in place, despite the exchange of fire. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth he told reporters on Tuesday “the ceasefire is not over,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a few hours later that Project Freedom is a “defensive operation,” where the US only fires if fired at first.
Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that Iranian officials “knew what to do” to avoid breaking the ceasefire.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested on Monday that Project Freedom could derail peace talks, calling the move “Project Deadlock” and warned that “there is no military solution to a political crisis.”
“As negotiations progress with Pakistan’s goodwill effort, the US must be wary of being dragged into the mess by unscrupulous aspirants,” Araghchi wrote in X.
It is not clear where the US-Iran talks currently stand. Iran’s efforts to control and levy tolls in the Strait of Hormuz have drawn a lot of backlash from the US, and the US blockade of Iranian ports has angered Iran. Long-standing disagreements also appear to be continuing, including over the fate of Iran’s nuclear program.
Mr. Trump said over the weekend that he had received a new peace plan from Iran, but he doubts it will be enough because “they haven’t paid a big enough price.” Iran said on Monday it was still reviewing the US response to its proposal.
