U.S. President Donald Trump announced early Wednesday a temporary suspension of the “Freedom of Navigation” project in the Strait of Hormuz, as part of efforts to create space for reaching a final agreement with Iran.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said the decision came “at the request of Pakistan and other countries,” citing what he described as a “major military success” during the campaign against Iran, along with “significant progress” toward a complete and final agreement with Tehran’s representatives.
He explained that the suspension would last for a short period in order to test the possibility of completing and signing the agreement, while emphasizing that the blockade imposed on Iran “will remain fully in effect.”
Trump added that the move comes within the framework of mutual understandings, without providing further details regarding the nature or duration of the anticipated agreement.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced during a press conference at the White House that the United States had ended its offensive operations against Iran.
Rubio told reporters that “Operation Epic Rage has ended, as the president informed Congress. We have concluded this phase.”
He added that Washington has now shifted to a “defensive” phase under a new operation announced by Trump titled “Freedom Project.”
Rubio stressed that the United States would not initiate fire on its own, but warned that American forces carrying out the operation would respond with “lethal effectiveness” if targeted.
