U.S President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at the White House on Friday where he said he might resume the currently-halted “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz if a deal was not reached with Iran.
“We’ll go a different route if everything doesn’t get signed up, buttoned up,” Trump told the reporters.
He further added, “I think Project Freedom is good, but I think we have other ways of doing it also. We may go back to Project Freedom if things don’t happen, but it’d be Project Freedom plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things.”
Trump had previously announced on Truth Social that Project Freedom would be paused temporarily, although the U.S blockade on Iranian ports would remain in effect. He said the decision was taken at the request of mediator Pakistan and other nations.
The President had posted, “Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and additionally, the fact the 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.”
There were reports that Trump paused the project after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait restricted access to U.S military forces to use their key airspaces and regional bases.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched Project Freedom on Monday to escort foreign commercial vehicles stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. As per CENTCOM, the operation involves the deployment of guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members.
