The US will pause escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz barely a day after it began doing so, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, citing a desire to reach a peace deal with Iran.
On Monday, Trump launched “Project Freedom” to help ships leave the Strait of Hormuz, which leads to the Arabian Gulf that Iran closed in response to an attack on its ships.
Trump said “great progress has been made” toward a deal with Tehran and that the ship-guiding operation “will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.” He added that the blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States had completed its offensive operations against Iran, while withholding the right to unleash a “devastating” response to any new attacks on shipping in the narrow shipping lanes.
Rubio echoed Washington’s top military officer who earlier in the day said that US forces were ready to resume combat operations if ordered.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing, where he is set to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Wednesday.
The United Arab Emirates announced it was intercepting a barrage of missiles and drones from Iran for a second day — a claim Tehran “categorically” denied.
“The armed forces…did not launch any missile or drone operation,” Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya command said. (AFP)
