President Trump announced the pause of “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday, indicating that “great progress” has been made toward a peace agreement in Iran.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Project Freedom is a defensive military operation aimed at making it safer for ships to get out of the narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf, according to the Pentagon.
Trump’s surprise announcement comes as at least 11 ships crossed through the critical oil chokepoint in the 24 hours under the now-paused initiative – an improvement from Monday, when just two ships passed through.
Ahead of the pause, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Project Freedom as a “favor to the world” to rescue innocent sailors stuck at sea because of Iran’s takeover of the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said nearly “23,000 civilians from 87 different countries” have been “trapped inside the Gulf, and left for dead in the Persian Gulf by this Iranian regime” since the war broke out on Feb. 28.
The secretary of state further declared that the shift to Project Freedom meant attacks against Iran under Operation Epic Fury were officially “over.”
“The operation is over,” Rubio said. “We’re done with that stage of it. Okay, we’re now on to this Project Freedom.”
The chief diplomat, speaking to reporters at the White House press briefing, went on to paint a frustrating picture of what negotiating with the Iranian regime has been like.
Follow The Post’s coverage on the latest in the war with Iran:
“It’s been challenging to deal with them diplomatically because, for example, an offer will be made and then it takes 5 or 6 days to get a response because you have to get it through the whole system,” Rubio said.
“They have to find the supreme leader wherever he hides. They got to get him to sign off. And that’s their system. Their system has always been multilayered in this way,” he added.
Rubio also mused that while it may feel Iran does “have a high pain threshold,” they “don’t have an unlimited pain threshold.”
Trump has been adamant that he would not allow Iran to continue producing or holding enriched uranium – which could be used to develop a nuclear weapon – under any peace agreement.
The president has also insisted the US must be allowed to remove about 1,000 pounds of uranium believed to have been buried deep underground in Iran, following last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer airstrikes on the regime’s nuclear facilities.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
