U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that he was suspending U.S. efforts to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to finalize a deal with Iran, but the blockade of Iranian ports by U.S. forces would remain in place, the AP reported.
US Iran War LIVE: What happened in the last few hours?
- Trump said in the post that he was making the move based on “the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous military success we have achieved during the campaign against the country of Iran, and the fact that great progress has been made toward a full and final agreement with Iranian officials.”
- Rubio said at a White House news conference on Tuesday that if peace is to be achieved, Iran must agree to US President Donald Trump’s demands on its nuclear program and also agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy.
- He spoke as the United Arab Emirates said it was targeted by Iranian drones and missiles the next day.
- “We would prefer the path of peace,” Rubio said. He also expressed hope that during Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s expected visit to China on Wednesday, Beijing would again remind Tehran of the need to loosen its stranglehold on the Strait.
- Earlier on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, the US military’s top officer, said at a news conference that renewed Iranian attacks had not reached the threshold of what Caine called “major combat operations”. He said Tuesday meant a “calmer” day in the Straits. “The truce is not over,” Hegseth said.
- WTI fell 3.9% on Tuesday as the ceasefire held despite reported gunfire, while Brent fell 4% to settle at $109.87.
