Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the temporary suspension of Project Freedom, a naval operation to rescue and guide stranded merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing significant progress in negotiations with Iran leading to a deal. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State indicated that the U.S.-Israeli offensive operation against Iran has ended.
According to Thai News Agency, President Donald Trump announced via his social media account, Truth Social, yesterday the temporary suspension of Project Freedom, a naval operation to rescue and safely navigate stranded merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that this decision was made in response to significant progress in negotiations for a complete and final agreement with Iranian representatives. Trump praised the blockade of Iranian ports as "steel as a plate of steel" and its effectiveness, adding that the decision was made at the request of Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran. However, Trump affirmed that the U.S. Navy's blockade of Iranian ports will remain in full effect to exert economic pressure, while mocking Iran's military capabilities as diminished to mere toy gunners and stating that Iran should surrender but is too arrogant to do so.
The announcement to suspend the mission, which had only begun a day prior, came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the press about the importance and goals of the operation. Rubio also stated that the U.S.-Israeli offensive military operation against Iran, known as "Operation Epic Fury," had concluded successfully, as the U.S. had achieved its objectives and preferred to pursue a peaceful path. He further claimed that the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran had inflicted damage equivalent to a generation on the Iranian economy.
While Iranian state media hailed the suspension of the mission as a victory, claiming Trump had backed down after failing to reopen this vital shipping lane, Iranian President Masoud Peseshkyan countered Trump's remarks, insisting that no one could force Iran to surrender and stating that the US demands were unilateral coercive and unacceptable to Iran. Mohammad Bagher Galibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, added earlier that Iran hadn't even begun to take any concrete action, implying that Iran had stronger countermeasures in place if the US continued its military pressure, and reiterated that the US could not tolerate the current situation any longer.
Project Freedom aims to rescue approximately 2,000 commercial ships and over 20,000 crew members stranded due to Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for transporting about 20% of the world's oil and natural gas. Prior to the suspension, only two commercial ships had successfully navigated the strait under US guidance.