Trump Pauses ‘Project Freedom’ in Hormuz, Citing ‘Great Progress’ Toward Iran Deal

President Trump announced on Tuesday that “Project Freedom” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be paused for a short period of time, just two days after it was launched. In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said the pause was mutually agreed on between the U.S. and Iran and was based on requests from Pakistan and other countries as well as “great progress” made toward a “final agreement” with Tehran. The president explained that while the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports will remain in “full force and effect” the Project Freedom escorts will be paused to see “whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met on Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing, where he said the regime will “only accept a fair and comprehensive agreement” with the U.S. “We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations,” he said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, insisted that war between the U.S. and Iran is over. “Operation Epic Fury has concluded,” Mr. Rubio said at a press conference on Tuesday evening. “We achieved the objectives of that operation.” Mr. Rubio went on to talk about Project Freedom, which Mr. Trump decided to pause not long after. “This is not an offensive operation,” the secretary said. “This is a defensive operation. What that means, very simple, is there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first. “Everybody needs to think about it this way,” he continued, “if Iran had a nuclear weapon and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 a gallon or $8 a gallon, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon. A nuclear-armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the straits, and there’s nothing anyone would be able to do about it.” The secretary of state also touched on issues related to Iran’s nuclear program. Mr. Trump has “been clear that part of the negotiation process has to be not just the [uranium] enrichment,” he said, “but [also] what happens to this material that’s very deep somewhere that they … still have access to if they ever wanted to dig it out. That has to be addressed. And that’s being addressed in the negotiation.”Iranian state-run media meanwhile mocked Mr. Trump following his decision to pause Project Freedom.The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, tweeted: “Trump Backs Down.”INSA, an Iranian state-run media outlet, said: “Following Iran’s firm positions and warnings, and the failure of the United States to achieve its objectives in the so-called ‘Freedom Project’, Trump announced the suspension of this project.”

Trump Pauses ‘Project Freedom’ in Hormuz, Citing ‘Great Progress’ Toward Iran Deal

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