Trump halts Strait of Hormuz operation amid Iran talks progress

US President Donald Trump has unexpectedly halted the operation to safely escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, which he had ambitiously initiated. The operation, named “Project Freedom”, was announced to be stopped, and Iran declared that any action in Hormuz without its consent would be unacceptable. According to The New York Times, Trump claimed that Pakistan had requested the operation be halted.

Trump stated that the decision was made as talks with Iran regarding an agreement were progressing. Meanwhile, Iranian state media portrayed this as a victory, suggesting that Trump was forced to retreat after failing to open the route.

Under this operation, the US achieved only limited success, managing to safely escort just two ships on Monday and one on Tuesday. Before the conflict, approximately 130 ships used to pass through Hormuz daily. Following the operation’s commencement, Iran began its attacks.

Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had stated that America had completed its military actions against Iran and was now focused solely on “Project Freedom”. Iran expressed dissatisfaction with the project’s initiation, warning that it would not allow any ships to pass through the route without its permission.

Subsequently, Iran attacked a South Korean ship in the Hormuz region and also launched a missile attack on a UAE vessel. Amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi embarked on a visit to Beijing, China.

In Beijing, Araghchi is scheduled to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This visit is considered significant, as it comes just about 10 days before President Trump’s planned visit to Beijing.

According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the meeting will involve discussions on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. Earlier, on April 27, Araghchi had visited Russia, where he met with President Putin.