President Donald Trump said the United States will temporarily pause its operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining the blockade, claiming that “Great Progress had been toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
“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, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The operation, which Trump had announced Sunday evening, took effect Monday. Soon after, the US and Iranian militaries traded shots and accusations, raising questions about the fragile ceasefire.
But Trump administration officials insisted on Tuesday the ceasefire wasn’t over and spent the day touting the new operation to guide ships through the strait.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who said combat operations launched against Iran in February had concluded — told reporters at the White House that the US was focused on the new operation, which he described as the “first step” toward fully reopening the critical waterway.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a morning briefing that the effort was “separate and distinct” from the ongoing military operation in the region.
“Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: Protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,” he said. (CNN)
