US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered a temporary halt to ‘Project Freedom’ in the Strait of Hormuz. He cited the reason for this as the ongoing negotiations for a final agreement with Iran. However, he stressed that the US naval blockade will remain in full force.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “At the request of Pakistan and other countries, great progress has been made with representatives of Iran toward a full and final agreement. Given that, we have decided by mutual consent that Project Freedom will be put on hold for a period of time to see if an agreement can be finalized.”
America started Project Freedom amid ceasefire
It is known that on Tuesday, amid the ceasefire in the Gulf region, America and Iran launched new attacks on each other. Several merchant ships in the bay reported explosions or fires. The US claimed to have destroyed six small Iranian military boats. At the same time, an oil port in the United Arab Emirates was set on fire by Iranians, in which three Indians were injured.
Earlier, Trump had said that the US would help ships around the world get out of these restricted waterways safely, so that they can continue their trade. Iran has proposed ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz without touching the issue of its nuclear program. As part of its proposal, Iran also wants the United States to end the blockade imposed on its country.
Iran calls ‘Project Freedom’ as ‘Project Deadlock’
At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had termed ‘Project Freedom’ as ‘Project Deadlock’ (project of deadlock), and said that Monday’s events have proved that there is no military solution to this crisis. He said peace talks are progressing with the mediation of Pakistan, and cautioned the US and UAE not to get trapped in the quagmire created by ill-wishers.
