The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Tuesday (5) that he decided to pause the operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed ‘Project Freedom’, just one day after announcing the start of the initiative.
According to the president, the suspension of the operation will be for a short period to see if an agreement can be finalized and signed, although the blockade will remain in force.
According to Trump, the decision responds to a request from Pakistan and other countries and was taken after “great progress” in talks with Iranian representatives, with a view to a “complete and definitive” agreement.
“We have mutually agreed that while the lockdown remains in full force and effect, Project Freedom will be paused for a short period of time to see if the agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would continue to use its resources to defend freedom of navigation on the important waterway. ‘We are only responding if we are attacked first. This is a defensive operation,’ Rubio said.
The secretary also said that the United States has been in contact with several ships about the possibility of leaving the strait, echoing comments made earlier by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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*With information from Reuters and Estadão Conteúdo.
