Donald Trump announces pause to 'Project Freedom' as he hails 'great progress' in peace talks with Iran

Donald Trump has announced a pause to the US military operation guiding commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz - dubbed Project Freedom - citing "great progress" in peace talks with Iran.

On Tuesday night, the President wrote on his Truth Social platform that the decision was "based on the request of Pakistan and other countries" and "the tremendous military success that we have had during the campaign".

He added: "Additionally, the fact that great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the agreement can be finalised and signed."

Project Freedom was announced by Mr Trump on Sunday, with the President insisting US forces would "guide" vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz by the conflict safely out of the vital waterway.

The White House said it believed more than 23,000 sailors aboard ships from almost 90 countries had been stranded in the strait since the Islamic Republic forced its closure after the conflict erupted.

US Central Command confirmed Project Freedom would be backed by "guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members."

The launch of the military operation prompted a hostile response from Iran, which later attacked the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones, injuring three people.

US Central Command's Admiral Brad Cooper later said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had "launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships that we are protecting" as part of the mission.

Iranian state media has declared that Mr Trump's decision to pause Project Freedom showed that Mr Trump had "retreated" after "continued failures" of the US to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

The announcement comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the initial offensive stage of the conflict - Operation Epic Fury - has now finished after all objectives were completed.

He told reporters at the White House on Tuesday: "The operation is over - Epic Fury - as the President notified Congress, we're done with that stage of it."

Discussing Project Freedom, Mr Rubio described it as a "defensive operation".

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"If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we're not firing shots, but if we're fired on we will respond," he added.

Mr Rubio also confirmed that 10 civilian sailors had died after becoming stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

He described them as "isolated, starving and vulnerable," but did not provide further details.

The Secretary of State also insisted the US would "prefer the path of peace," adding: "What the President would prefer is a deal."

Shortly before Mr Rubio's comments, Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said: "We know well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America, while we are just getting started."

On Monday, the US shot down seven Iranian boats after Tehran blasted a South Korean vessel in the vital waterway.

Mr Trump confirmed that American helicopters had taken down the "small boats" belonging to the Islamic Republic, adding "it's all they have left".

Iran's military claimed it fired warning shots at an American vessel in the strait - an "entirely false" claim which the US denied.

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