U.S. President Donald Trump said significant progress had been made in negotiations with Iran and announced a temporary suspension of "Project Freedom," an operation to evacuate commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Based upon the requests of Pakistan, and other Nations, our tremendous Military Successes against Iran, and Major Progress being made toward a Complete and Final Deal with the Iranian Delegation, I have decided to temporarily pause Project Freedom, to see if an Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. He added that "the Blockade remains fully in place."
The move is interpreted as an attempt to maintain trust through a final agreement, given that substantial progress has been made in behind-the-scenes negotiations with Iran.
Earlier the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was "open to negotiations with the United States but will not yield to pressure," criticizing Washington for "exerting coercion and pressure to force Iran to accept unilateral demands." According to Iran International, an anti-government Iranian outlet, Pezeshkian pointed out, "The problem is that the United States, on one hand, is applying maximum pressure on Iran, while on the other hand, expecting us to come to the negotiating table and ultimately submit to America's unilateral demands. Such a balance is impossible."
As a result, the South Korean government, which had been under pressure to join Project Freedom, can also breathe a sigh of relief for now. Earlier in the day, Trump had treated Iran's involvement as a fait accompli in the explosion and fire aboard HMM's Namoo, saying, "A Korean ship was attacked. They were not in the convoy and had decided to act alone." Defense (War) Secretary Pete Hegseth had also urged South Korea to participate in Project Freedom during a press conference that morning.
