US changes tactics in Strait of Hormuz, Trump talks of imminent deal with Iran

The United States is briefly suspending an operation in which it escorted and protected ships threatened by Iran’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump said the move was prompted by highly advanced talks with Iran and efforts to reach a deal. The US blockade of Iranian ports is continuing, Trump added. The White House believes a deal on a one-page memorandum of understanding is within reach, Axios reported, with Tehran’s response to several key points potentially coming within 48 hours.

According to the outlet, the agreement would include a moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, the lifting of US sanctions against Tehran and the release of frozen Iranian assets, as well as the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, the White House chief announced the launch of an operation called Project Freedom. Its aim is to protect ships and secure control of the key maritime trade route through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran blocked after US-Israeli strikes began in early March, sending oil prices sharply higher, among other effects.

On Tuesday evening US time (early Wednesday morning CEST), however, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that, “at the request of Pakistan and other countries” and also because “great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran”, Project Freedom would be “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed”.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the United States had already secured safe passage through the strait and that hundreds of commercial vessels were lining up to transit. He said the operation was purely defensive and that the US had not intervened unless prompted by Iran.

An Iranian official said on Monday that Tehran could consider US protection of ships a violation of the ceasefire currently in effect between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today, according to the BBC, that 26 vessels had been targeted in attacks in the Middle East since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran. The same source reported a total of 46 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman: 26 attacks, 18 cases of “suspicious activity” and two hijackings.

According to Trump, the US Navy will continue its naval blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports. Washington is seeking to exert economic pressure on Tehran and push it to reach a deal on Trump’s terms. Iranian officials, however, say the political crisis cannot be resolved by military means and warn that Tehran has not even begun its confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz.