Trump pauses US operation to help ships exit Hormuz, cites Iran peace talks progress

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that his country will pause its military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz “for a short period of time”, citing progress towards a peace deal with Iran.

The decision followed a request from Pakistan and other countries, Trump said. It came as Washington seeks to finalise an agreement with Tehran to end the war in West Asia.

In a post on social media, Trump said that while the blockade of Iranian ports would remain in force, “Project Freedom”, which was the codename given to the operation to guide vessels through the strait, would be paused to allow negotiations to advance.

He said that there had been “great progress” towards a “complete and final agreement” with Iranian representatives.

The operation had been launched on Monday. Iran has effectively closed the strait, a key global shipping route, in response to attacks by the US and Israel.

Washington claimed on Monday that it had sunk several Iranian boats and countered aerial threats targeting shipping routes.

‘Operation Epic Fury’ ends

Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the initial US military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, known as “Operation Epic Fury”, had concluded.

The US had achieved its objectives and would not initiate further fighting, he said,...

Read more