President Donald Trump halted the US military operation to guide trapped commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz shortly after it began, claiming an opportunity to reach an agreement that would end two months of war with Iran.
The US president said Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports will continue in place as Tehran maintained its own denial of the critical trade channel in retaliation for the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has shattered markets and pushed up petrol prices.
Trump wrote on social media that the decision to halt his so-called “Project Freedom” a day after it began came after requests from “mediator Pakistan and other countries”, saying “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Tehran.
“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom… will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote late Tuesday.
The decision means more than 22,000 seafarers and 1,500 commercial ships are still waiting to transit the strait, according to US officials.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — a key mediator in the Middle East war — wrote on X that he was “hopeful” the current momentum would help bring an end to the conflict with a “lasting agreement.”
Trump made the abrupt U-turn as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing for talks on Wednesday, his first trip to Tehran’s close ally since the beginning of the war.
According to Iranian state television, Araghchi informed Wang that Tehran would “only accept a fair and comprehensive agreement.”
Following the talks, Wang urged both countries to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible,” according to his ministry.
Before the visit, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a prominent critic of China, urged Beijing to apply pressure on Araghchi to end the key waterway blockade.
“I hope the Chinese tell him (Araghchi) what he needs to be told, and that is that what you were doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated,” Rubio said.
Trump’s tone came hours after Rubio said the US had completed its offensive operations against Iran.
Investors welcomed the decision to pause the ship-guiding plan, with Brent oil price tumbling more than five per cent and West Texas Intermediate back below $100 a barrel.
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