According to Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, the ceasefire between the USA and Iran still applies. “The ceasefire is not over,” said the Pentagon chief in response to a question at a press conference. The new US initiative to restore free trade in the Strait of Hormuz is a separate, temporary, defensive operation. This operation is separate from the military operation “Violent Wrath” against Iran and is clearly different from it, emphasized Hegseth.
“We are not looking for conflict,” but Iran should not be allowed to stop innocent countries from crossing the strait. Trump prefers that the initiative be peaceful, but the US is always ready to defend its people, ships, aircraft and the mission. Merchant ships flying the US flag have already passed through the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrating that this is safe, emphasized Hegseth. Hundreds of other ships from various nations are currently waiting to sail through the strait.
There has been a ceasefire in the Iran war for around a month, which Trump recently extended unilaterally for an indefinite period. On Monday, the dispute over the largely blocked Strait of Hormuz came to a head, endangering the ceasefire. The background is the launch of a new US initiative called “Project Freedom”, which is intended to help stuck ships pass the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the actual ceasefire in the Middle East, Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates. They threaten retaliation. Read the full article here.
The US military says it has guided two merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. A shipping company whose ship left the strait also confirmed the passage. The two US-flagged ships were accompanied by two US guided-missile destroyers.
