US President Donald Trump has paused the US military’s “Project Freedom” operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, due to “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement with the representatives of Iran”.
Trump said the operation will be paused for “a short period” to see if an agreement with Tehran can be finalised.
The US president’s announcement came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the initial US-Israeli offensive in Iran – Operation Epic Fury – was over after achieving its objectives.
In a post on social media, Trump said that he had made the decision “based on the request of Pakistan”, which has acted as an intermediary between the US and Iran. He added that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
Trump’s announcement may surprise some. It undercuts a day’s worth of messaging from Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Dan Caine – all of whom vowed that the operation would ensure freedom of navigation and commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.
“We would prefer the path of peace. What the president [Donald Trump] would prefer is a deal,” Rubio told reporters on Tuesday.
What happens next is unclear. The administration had stressed that Project Freedom was a “separate and distinct” campaign from the blockade, which is meant to pressure Iran economically.