Donald Trump is once again shaking things up and surprisingly announcing a "brief" suspension of Project Freedom , the US military initiative that aims to keep commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth, just one day after the operation began, the US president explained that the decision is based in part on "the fact that significant progress has been made toward a comprehensive and final agreement" with Iran. Project Freedom, therefore, "will be suspended for a short period of time to determine whether the agreement can be finalized and signed ," the tycoon later wrote. His post caused stock futures to soar, fueling hopes of a peace agreement that could end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and allow the reopening of the Straits, through which 20% of the world's crude oil passes.
The move came after repeated incidents that raised fears of a breakdown in the precarious truce and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's invitation to Iran to "make a sensible choice" and take the diplomatic path that could lead to "reconstruction, prosperity and stability, and no longer represent a threat to the world."
Iran, Rubio said at a White House briefing , must "accept the reality of the situation" and sit down at the negotiating table, accepting terms that are beneficial not only to itself, but also to the world.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi is in Beijing, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang today.
(Unioneonline)