Tayari News
As we’ve been reporting, Trump said the US operation to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be paused on Tuesday evening.
“Project Freedom” was announced by the US president on Sunday, with Trump saying it was a “humanitarian gesture” to help the seafarers stuck in the Gulf.
US Central Command (Centcom) said it was “essential” to regional security and the global economy.
Iran responded by saying it would attack US forces if they entered the strait, with Iranian media later reporting a US warship had been hit by two missiles.
This claim was denied by Centcom, which said two US-flagged merchant vessels had successfully passed the strait with the US Navy.
Trump also said US forces had struck seven Iranian “small boats” he said had tried to attack commercial ships – disputed by Iran – with the US president later telling Fox News that Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacks US vessels.
On Tuesday, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of breaching the ceasefire.
Later in the day, the US president announced the operation would be paused for a “short period”, saying it followed “great progress” made towards an agreement with Iran, and after a request from Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator between the US and Iran.
The US military says around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 commercial vessels are struck in the Gulf.
Separately to Donald Trump’s newly-paused operation to guide boats out of the Strait of Hormuz, the US military has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports – and the US president says this will “remain in full force”.
It was announced in mid-April, when US forces said they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran’s coast.
Speaking after the blockade was announced, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said it would target “any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran”, including “dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil”.
On Tuesday, US Central Command gave an update on this blockade, saying that it had redirected 51 vessels to date.
-BBC-