US pauses effort to guide vessels from the Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said he has paused the effort to guide stranded commercial vessels from the Strait of Hormuz in order to finalise a deal with Iran to end the war. Trump also said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue. He announced the decision in a social media post Tuesday evening. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment offering further detail. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that major US military operations against Iran are over. He said Iran must agree to US demands on its nuclear program and reopen the strait, a waterway vital to global oil and gas supplies. Rubio said recent clashes with Iran related to US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz were "defensive in nature." US forces had launched an effort to guide commercial ships through the strait, but so far only two vessels are known to have passed through. Trump announced the decision in a social media post on Tuesday evening, saying he was pausing the effort for a short period to give space for US efforts to final a settlement with Iran to end the war. Trump said he was making the move 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 that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran." He added that the US blockade of vessels leaving Iranian ports would remain in place. "We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom ... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump wrote on social media. Shortly after Trump's post, US crude oil futures fell $2.30 and broke below $100 per barrel, a much-watched threshold since the conflict sent energy prices soaring two months ago. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment on what progress had been made, or how long the pause would last.