Washington, USA — This week, United States President Donald Trump unveiled what he calls “Project Freedom.”
The initiative aims to assist vessels from countries not involved in the conflict to exit the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded there since February.
The United States carried out the operation on Monday.
However, contrary to the word “Project Freedom,” the situation quickly turned violent in the Strait of Hormuz.
To prevent U.S. forces from advancing, Iran launched “warning” strikes directed at approaching American ships.
In response, the United States retaliated and targeted seven Iranian boats considered obstacles to the operation, according to President Trump.
But just a day later, the US abruptly halted the project.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said “Project Freedom” will be paused for a short period.
According to him, the decision came after a request from mediator Pakistan to allow more time to potentially finalize a peace agreement, following what he described as “positive progress” in talks between the United States and Iran.
However, the U.S. President did not provide details on this reported progress.
It can be recalled that Iran recently submitted a new proposal to the United States, which, according to reports, Trump was unhappy.
Meanwhile, Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said peace talks are continuing with Pakistan’s mediation despite the developments this week.
Going back to the post, Trump also clarified that the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz will remain in force.
He further asserted that the U.S. military operation against Iran was successful, which he cited as one of the reasons for the temporary suspension of the project.
This was echoed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a press conference, where he said the U.S. had successfully carried out and concluded the “Operation Epic Fury.”
The “Operation Epic Fury” sparked the tensions on February 28.
In their website, the United States Department of State stated the operation was aimed to destroy Iran’s offensive military capabilities and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
On the other hand, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified that the ceasefire remains in effect despite the tensions in recent days.