Donald Trump said he has paused efforts to guide stranded commercial vessels from the Strait of Hormuz in order to finalise a deal with Iran to end the war.
The US president made the announcement on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday evening and did not immediately respond to requests for further details.
He said the so-called “Project Freedom” would be “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the agreement can be finalised and signed” following a “mutual agreement” between Pakistan and other countries.
A US blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place, and it appears that Iran’s own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will also continue.
It comes after tensions hit a critical high on Sunday and Monday, as the US pushed to open up the strait to commercial ships, with conflicting reports between Washington and Tehran over naval skirmishes.
The US denied a report by Iranian media that one of its warships was hit by Iranian missiles as it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran denied reports that six of its vessels had been sunk by the US military.
Meanwhile world leaders condemned an Iranian attack on oil infrastructure in the UAE on Monday – the first such attack since a ceasefire had been reached in early April – pushing the already fragile truce into further jeopardy.
Washington appears to have taken a step back, however, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Tuesday that major US military operations against Iran are over.
He said Iran must agree to US demands on its nuclear program and reopen the strait. Iran insists that its uranium enrichment programme is only for civilian energy purposes.
But Rubio said Iranian claims of not wanting to develop nuclear weapons are not reflected by its actions, pointing to its development of advanced centrifuge technology and construction of underground bunkers.
Rubio insisted the US operation in the Strait of Hormuz is defensive only despite recent clashes with Iran.
“There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first, OK? We’re not attacking them. We’re not,” Rubio told reporters. “If they pose a threat to our forces, we’ll shoot down drones, we’ll shoot down missiles. But it’s defensive in nature.
“They’re sitting ducks, they’re isolated, they’re starving, they’re vulnerable,” Rubio said. “At least 10 sailors have already died as a result.”
So far, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the new US-guarded route, with hundreds more bottled up in the Gulf.
Separate to Project Freedom, Rubio said the major US military operation against Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury”, is over, but stopped short of saying the conflict could not be restarted.
He claimed this was because the objectives of the mission were all successfully concluded, adding: “We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur… We would prefer the path of peace.”
In order for that to happen, Iran must agree to Trump’s demands, but it is unclear what the Islamic Republic’s next move will be.
The announcement comes despite the UAE reporting attacks by Iran on Tuesday evening, claiming it was “actively engaging” with missile and drone attack from Iran.
Iran denied striking the UAE “in recent days,” according to a statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran’s joint military command, that was read Tuesday on state TV.
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