US, Iran Agree To Reopen Strait of Hormuz
New Delhi: The United States and Iran have reportedly reached an agreement to ease the American naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the gradual reopening of the strategic waterway, according to Al Arabiya.
The understanding, reached on Thursday, comes after weeks of heightened tensions that disrupted global energy supplies following Iran’s initial closure of the Strait at the onset of the US-Iran conflict.
“Agreements have been reached regarding easing the blockade in exchange for the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. In the coming hours, ships that were previously stuck in the strait are expected to be released,” sources told Al Arabiya.
In a related development, former President Donald Trump announced the suspension of “Project Freedom,” the US military operation launched to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The pause comes amid progress in negotiations with Iran aimed at resolving the conflict.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump stated that “great progress” had been made toward a “complete and final agreement” with Iranian representatives. He added that, while the blockade would remain in effect, Project Freedom would be temporarily paused to allow time for the agreement to be finalized and signed.
Project Freedom, launched on Monday, was intended to provide safe passage for vessels stranded due to the Strait’s closure. Its implementation, however, escalated tensions in the region. The United Arab Emirates reported attacks on some of its ships by Iranian forces, while the US said it had destroyed several Iranian small boats near the strategic waterway, which handles nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments.
