In brief
- US President Donald Trump has paused a new military operation in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The request to pause the operation came from mediators in Pakistan and other countries.
United States President Donald Trump says he is halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war.
Trump's so-called "Project Freedom" to help vessels leave the Strait of Hormuz began on Monday.
But Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday AEST he was now pausing it after a request by mediator Pakistan and other countries, saying that "Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement" with Iran.
"We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom ... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
The US is maintaining a blockade of Iran's ports in a bid to pressure Iran to make a deal to end the war that the United States and Israel launched on 28 February.
Tensions had been soaring over the Hormuz operation, with the United States saying it had sunk seven Iranian boats, and several civilian vessels coming under attack, allegedly from Iran.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said earlier on Tuesday that the United States has completed its offensive operations against Iran, which it dubbed "Operation Epic Fury".
Rubio's comments echoed statements to Congress nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire.
"The operation is over — Epic Fury — as the president notified Congress. We're done with that stage of it," Rubio told reporters at the White House.
The clashes in the Strait of Hormuz were not part of the original war, he said.
"This is not an offensive operation; this is a defensive operation," Rubio said. "And what that means is very simple — there's no shooting unless we're shot at first."
Israel and the United States attacked Iran on 28 February, killing top leaders and destroying major military and economic sites but not forcing the collapse of the Islamic republic, which has responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Trump on 8 April declared a ceasefire with Iran that he has since extended even though negotiations with Iran have been at a standstill.
Rubio said the United States has "achieved the objectives" of the war.
"These guys are facing, they are facing real, catastrophic destruction to their economy," he said, while adding that Trump still preferred a negotiated deal with Iran.
'Not even started yet'
The warnings came after Iran's chief negotiator said his nation "had not even started yet", following a spate of attacks in the crucial trade route.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy on Tuesday warned of a "firm response" if any ships diverged from its approved route through the strait.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), meanwhile, said it was engaging a barrage of missiles and drones from Iran for the second consecutive day — an accusation "categorically" denied by the Islamic republic's military.
"The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not launch any missile or drone operation against the United Arab Emirates these past days," the Khatam al-Anbiya central command said in a statement.
Iran had on Monday fired missiles and drones at US forces, while the US said it hit six Iranian boats it said threatened commercial shipping, in the sharpest escalation since a nearly month-long truce.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) "and the rest of the joint force remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so", General Dan Caine told reporters.
"No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve."
President Donald Trump had urged Iran to "do the smart thing" and make a deal to end the war, saying even as the ceasefire teetered that he did not want to kill more Iranians.
He had earlier described the war as "a little skirmish", arguing: "Iran has no chance. They never did. They know it."
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth had said the US was "not looking for a fight" in the strait but vowed that Iranian attacks would "face overwhelming and devastating American firepower".
'Malign presence'
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has become a key figure in peace talks, said the status quo was "intolerable for America".
The trading of fire in the waterway where the rivals are vying for control with duelling maritime blockades took place after Trump announced a plan to guide ships out of the Gulf.
The war, which erupted more than two months ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has sent the economy into a tailspin despite a weeks-long ceasefire.
Ghalibaf said the actions of the US and its allies had put shipping security at risk, but said their "malign presence will diminish", with Iran vowing not to surrender control of Hormuz.
Israel's new air force chief Omer Tischler warned the country was prepared to "deploy the entire air force eastward if required" to fight Iran.
Military chief Eyal Zamir added that "the IDF remains on high alert across all fronts. We are closely monitoring developments in the Persian Gulf and are prepared to respond with force to any attempt to harm Israel".
Iran denied any of its combat ships had been hit in US attacks but accused the US of killing five civilian passengers on boats.
But despite the clashes under Trump's effort dubbed "Project Freedom", Denmark's freight giant Maersk on Tuesday said one of its ships had successfully sailed through Hormuz under US escort.
'Direct consequences'
The UAE called the missile and drone attacks it attributed to Iran "a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression", while key US ally Saudi Arabia called Tuesday for efforts "to reach a political solution".
The attacks delivered another shock to the global economy, with stocks sinking on Tuesday after crude prices surged a day earlier as the tensions raised fears over the truce, with no sign of a deal to reopen the strait.
Negotiations between the US and Iran remain deadlocked, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far.
Rubio accused Iran of "holding the world's economy hostage" through threats to shipping and the laying of sea mines, and said US and Gulf allies had drafted a UN Security Council resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and disclose the location of mines.
The proposed measure would also require Iran to end efforts to charge tolls in the strait and support a humanitarian corridor, with a vote expected in the coming days, Rubio said.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that it remained ready for dialogue, but said: "Our problem is that, on the one hand, the United States is pursuing a policy of maximum pressure against our country and, on the other hand, they expect Iran to come to the negotiating table and ultimately capitulate to their unilateral demands."
"But such an equation is impossible," he added.
Soaring energy costs for consumers due to the war have caused economic pain and created a headache for Trump months before the midterm elections in November.
The US' European allies are also concerned that the longer the strait remains closed the more their economies will suffer.
"These attacks are unacceptable," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X, adding that "security in the (Gulf) region has direct consequences for Europe".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also implored Iran to "return to the negotiating table and stop holding the region and the world hostage", echoing calls from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Macron will speak with Pezeshkian later on Tuesday, he said.
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