WASHINGTON — The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Tuesday that he is suspending, at the request of Pakistanthe military operation ‘Project Freedom’, which consists of militarily securing the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, to determine if it is possible to reach a definitive agreement with Tehran.
Trump published in Truth Social that the suspension of the military operation, which began on May 3, is due to “considerable progress toward an agreement” with Tehran, without providing further details.
“Given the enormous military success” and the “major progress made toward a complete and final agreement with Iranian leaders, ‘Project Freedom’ will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social network on Tuesday.
Naval blockade remains
He specified that the US blockade of Iranian ports – which came into force on April 13 – remained in place, and that this pause had been decided after “the request of Pakistan and other countries.”
The Republican indicated that the suspension of this specific operation is intended to determine if the agreement “can be finalized and signed.”
American forces from Central Command managed to secure the passage of ships through the strait.
In addition, there have been repeated attacks in the region involving small boats and drones, some of which the United Arab Emirates attributed to Iran.
According to military sources, cited by local media, American ships were forced to carry out defensive maneuvers to guarantee navigation during the operation to escort merchant ships.
Hours earlier, the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, assured that the offensive against Iran launched on February 28 “has ended” and a new phase has been opened with a “defensive” operation aimed at facilitating navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Operation ‘Epic Fury’ is over. As the president informed Congress, we have concluded that stage,” Rubio declared at a press conference at the White House.
US Army ready
Earlier on Tuesday, the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, assured that the offensive phase against Tehran had concluded.
“Operation – Epic Fury – has ended, as the president informed Congress. We have concluded that phase,” said Marco Rubio during a press conference at the White House, using the code name that the United States gave to its operations against Iran.
But the US military said it was prepared to resume combat operations in the event of an Iranian response to the escorts in Hormuz.
“No adversary should mistake our current containment for a lack of resolve,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.
“Strong response” –
For his part, the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, will travel to China on Wednesday, where he will meet with his Chinese counterpart to discuss, among other issues, the war in the Middle East.
This visit occurs before Trump’s visit to Beijing, scheduled for May 14 and 15, where he will meet with his counterpart Xi Jinping.
On Monday, Iran launched missiles and drones against US military ships, according to the US command for the region (Centcom).
He was also accused of having fired on the United Arab Emirates, in the first attack against a Gulf country since the truce, an accusation that a senior Iranian military official denied on Tuesday night.
“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not carried out any missile or drone operations against the United Arab Emirates in recent days,” said the spokesman for the armed forces command headquarters, Khatam Al Anbiya, quoted by state television.
Previously, the United Arab Emirates reported having once again activated its air defenses to intercept missiles and drones launched, according to them, from Iran.
The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, threatened a “forceful response” if any ship deviates from the route demarcated by the Islamic republic in Hormuz.
The United States cannot “let Iran block an international shipping lane,” insisted US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In a statement, Rubio announced Tuesday that the United States will propose a resolution in the UN Security Council to “defend freedom of navigation and secure the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Endanger”
The main Iranian negotiator, the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, for his part accused the United States and its allies of “endangering” maritime transport.
Centcom assured, despite Iranian denials, that two US-flagged merchant ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday escorted by the military.
The Danish shipping giant Maersk announced that one of its ships was able to cross the strait on Monday “accompanied by US military assets”, trapped in the Gulf since the start of the war.
