Washington: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would briefly pause an operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress towards a comprehensive agreement with Iran.

“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 finalised and signed,” Trump wrote on social media.

There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, where it was very early on Wednesday morning.

Only hours earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had briefed reporters on the effort to escort stranded tankers through the strait. The day before, the US military said it had destroyed several Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones.

Rubio and other senior administration officials said Iran could not be allowed to control traffic through the strait.

“There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” Rubio told reporters at the White House, adding that the United States had achieved its objectives in the military campaign.

“Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” Rubio said. “We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur.”

Strait of Hormuz remains virtually shut
One of Trump’s central objectives in launching military strikes against Iran was to ensure Tehran does not develop a nuclear weapon, something Iran has denied. However, it has not handed over more than 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium.

The Strait of Hormuz has been virtually shut since the war began on February 28, triggering disruptions that have pushed up commodity prices globally.

Iran effectively sealed off the strait, which handles one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply, by threatening to deploy mines, drones, missiles and fast-attack craft. The United States has countered by blockading Iranian ports and mounting escorted transits for commercial vessels.

While Rubio was speaking, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a cargo vessel had been struck by a projectile in the strait. Further details were not immediately available.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier on Tuesday that the US had secured a path through the waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass. The four-week-old truce with Iran was not over, he added.

“Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we’re going to be watching very, very closely,” he said.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iranian attacks against US forces fell “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point”.

Asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said: “They know what not to do.”

‘Right to respond’
Shortly after Hegseth spoke, the UAE’s defence ministry said its air defences were dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran, though Iran’s joint military command denied carrying out any strikes.

The UAE’s foreign ministry called the attacks a serious escalation and a direct threat to national security, adding that it reserved its “full and legitimate right” to respond.

Iran’s foreign ministry rejected Abu Dhabi’s statements, saying its armed forces’ actions were solely aimed at repelling American aggression.

After issuing a new map of the narrow strait with an expanded Iranian area of control, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned vessels to stick to designated corridors or face a “decisive response”.

The US military said on Monday that two US merchant ships had passed through the strait, without specifying when. Shipping company Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged vessel, exited the Gulf under US military escort on Monday.

Iran denied any crossings had taken place.

Pakistan’s mediation efforts continue
The war has killed thousands and spread beyond Iran to Lebanon and the Gulf, rattling the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund said that even if the conflict ended immediately, it would take three to four months to manage the fallout.

Rubio said 10 civilian sailors were among those killed, adding that crews on stranded vessels were “starving” and “isolated”.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran’s military had been reduced to firing “peashooters” and that Tehran wanted peace despite public rhetoric.

The conflict is also putting pressure on Trump’s administration ahead of crucial midterm elections in November, as rising fuel prices hit voters.

Trump has said US-Israeli strikes aimed to eliminate what he called imminent threats from Iran, citing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have yet to yield results. US and Iranian officials have held one round of face-to-face talks, but further meetings have not been scheduled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said peace talks were still progressing with Pakistan’s mediation. He was travelling to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, while Trump is also expected to visit China later this month.