Iran silent as Trump says Strait of Hormuz effort stalled amid “substantial progress” on peace deal

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement on Wednesday thanking the captains and owners of ships in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman for “obeying the laws of Iran’s Strait of Hormuz and participating in maritime security in the region.”

The US and Iranian militaries have both asked for weeks to control key shipping lanes.

The US launched an operation, Project Freedom, on Monday to steer ships off course in violation of Iran’s demands that the ships communicate with its military, but just a day after two ships were taken into the waters, President Trump announced a pause in the operation on Tuesday night.

He said the pause was to see if a peace deal could be concluded with Tehran amid “significant progress” in the talks.

It came after Iran responded to Project Freedom on Monday by attacking several ships in the strait and firing missiles and drones at US ally United Arab Emirates for the first time since Mr.

In its statement on Wednesday, published on its social media accounts, the IRGC said about the US “threats that have not been used and new procedures are in place, a safe, stable passage through the SOH. [Strait of Hormuz] will be confirmed.”

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that two soldiers were “moderately wounded” in a Hezbollah plane and rocket attack on soldiers who were taking part in an ongoing offensive in southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the Air Force “intercepted a hostile aircraft before landing in Israeli territory” in another incident.

Soon after, the IDF said it launched new strikes “on Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon.”

In a statement posted on social media, Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed that it had attacked Israeli forces in two areas in southern Lebanon, saying it was “defending Lebanon and its people,” and responding to what it described as a violation of the US ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon and attacks on southern villages that it said had caused deaths and injuries.

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade blows since President Trump first announced a ceasefire in Lebanon, each claiming self-defense and accusing the other of violating the agreement.

The ongoing war in Lebanon remains a major factor in Pakistan’s efforts to end the war between the US and Iran. Tehran has so far refused to agree to any peace deal that does not include an end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which is an important energy supply channel that has remained open for a long time under international law, will be regulated in the future under a new system that “may reflect a new balance of power and security” in the region, with the border regions of Iran and Oman playing a key role, the Iranian news agency IRNA said on Wednesday.

The report said Iranian and Omani officials had earlier discussed possible ways to control shipping at sea, ensure safe passage, and introduce coordinated policies for the movement of ships once regional conditions “stabilize.”

IRNA said the proposals were designed as efforts to improve security and the organization of road transport, rather than restrictions on navigation, until the US and Israel launch their joint war on Iran in Feb. 28, is completely free and unrestricted.

The article said that Iran views the Strait of Hormuz in connection with its national security, and that any long-term governance or operational structure of the waterway should be determined through regional negotiations, especially with neighboring coastal states.

IRNA said the latest development underscored the country’s importance to the strait, noting the rise in global energy prices amid wartime trade restrictions.

The US and its regional allies in the Persian Gulf have accused Iran of crimes for its attacks and threats to commercial shipping, which have blocked traffic on the road.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised President Trump on Wednesday for suspending Project Freedom, saying the suspension of the US military’s short-lived naval maneuver in the Strait of Hormuz – which prompted Iran to attack ships and the Gulf States for the first time in weeks – “will go a long way in promoting regional peace, stability and reconciliation.”

“We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that ensures lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond,” said Sharif, whose country has acted as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, in a social media post.

“I thank President Donald Trump for his courageous leadership and timely announcement regarding the temporary suspension of the Freedom Project in the Strait of Hormuz,” said the Pakistani leader, adding that his country “remains firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promote self-restraint and the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and negotiation.”

Mr. Trump said Tuesday evening, when he announced the suspension of Project Freedom, that he did so after “significant progress” in negotiations “on a Comprehensive and Final Agreement” to end the war with Iran.

The Iranian government has yet to publicly respond to Mr.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that China was “deeply depressed” by the more than two-month war and called for a “complete halt”.

Wang met with Araghchi in Beijing, the first time an Iranian foreign minister has visited China since the war with the US and Israel began in Feb. 28.

“We believe that a complete ceasefire is urgently needed, that the resumption of conflict is unacceptable, and it is very important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiation,” Wang said.

After their meeting, Araghchi said Tehran would only accept a “fair and comprehensive agreement” to end the war, according to Iranian state media.

“We will do everything possible to protect our legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations,” he was quoted as saying, without referring to President Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that he was suspending Operation Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz “for a short period of time.”

Mr. Trump said he was suspending the US military’s naval maneuvers in the port a day after he began looking at whether a comprehensive peace deal could be agreed with Tehran, citing what he said was “significant progress” in talks led by Pakistan.

This infuriated Tehran, which drew the first Iranian attack on ships in the boat, and in the United Arab Emirates, since the US-Iran standstill began in early April.

CBS/AP

President Trump said on Tuesday on social media that Project Freedom will be temporarily suspended as the US and Iran made “Major Progress” on the final deal, but said US sanctions would remain in place.

“Based on the request of Pakistan and other countries, the Great Military Success we have had during the Campaign against the country of Iran and, in addition, the fact that great progress has been made regarding the Comprehensive and Final Agreement with the representatives of Iran, we have agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force through the Movement Strait Project, the Movement of Freedom (The Movement of Freedom) will be temporarily suspended to see that the Agreement can be concluded and signed,” wrote Mr. Trump on Truth Social.

Project Freedom, the US military’s effort to help move ships through the Strait of Hormuz, began on Monday.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday that there are more than 1,500 ships with about 22,500 sailors stranded in the Persian Gulf.

The United States and its Gulf allies have proposed a United Nations resolution that threatens Iran with sanctions or other measures if it does not stop naval attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, stop putting up “illegal toll roads,” and start disclosing their placement. of all mines to allow freedom of movement.

The draft Security Council resolution, obtained on Tuesday by the Associated Press, also demands that Iran “immediately participate and allow” UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the context of the delivery of essential aid, fertilizers and other goods.

It is the latest attempt at negotiations by the US and its Gulf allies after a water-logging decision aimed at opening the flow was blocked by China and Russia hours before Washington and Tehran announced a temporary ceasefire in early April.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement on Tuesday accused Iran of continuing to “hold the economy of the country” by trying to close the border, threatening to attack ships, laying sea mines, and trying to impose tolls on “the most important waterway in the world.”

Whether the resolution succeeds will be the “real test” of the UN as “an effective, global problem-solver,” Rubio added at a White House briefing.

While speaking to the media and reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Operation Epic Fury is over.

“The operation is over,” Rubio said. “Epic Fury says, the president informed Congress, we’re done with that phase of it. Okay? Now we’re in this freedom project.”

Project Freedom is a US effort to assist commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The operation, Epic Fury, is complete,” Rubio said. “We have achieved the objectives of that project.”

Rubio said the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium is being discussed in the negotiations, although he did not go into where the negotiations stand.