Trump has canceled "Project Freedom" just a day after it began, and Marco Rubio boasted that the US's goals in Iran "have been achieved". Progress in the talks or another failed move?
"Project Freedom" will be suspended for a short period of time," Donald Trump wrote on Tuesday. Just a day after the US announced that it would provide a military escort for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, it has canceled this plan.
End of the war?
Donald Trump has announced that it has achieved "incredible success" in the negotiations with Iran, both sides are close to signing a peace agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented that Operation "Epic Fury", as the US calls its military offensive against the Islamic Republic, is over, and the goals have been achieved. The focus is now on "Project Freedom", i.e. the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has not yet commented on the progress of the negotiations, but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in X that "no one can make us surrender" and called on "the US to remove military threats from the region".
What has the US achieved?
"Project Freedom" was launched on Monday, with Trump saying the US would ensure safe passage for ships and tankers carrying oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked for weeks.
On the first day of the operation, the US military said it had attacked at least six Iranian small vessels and repelled multiple drone and missile attacks, a claim Tehran denied. Earlier, Iranian media reported missile strikes on a US warship and warning shots fired near US destroyers - a claim Washington denied. Later, oil facilities in Fujairah were also hit, which the United Arab Emirates blames on Iran.
Rubio: Our objectives have been achieved
Marco Rubio said the war (or at least this phase of it) was over, without specifying when. In recent days, the US has been actively discussing the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which obliges the US president to seek approval from Congress for any military operation lasting more than 60 days.
At the beginning of "Epic Fury", the US president outlined several priorities. Among them was the destruction of Iran's fleet, which, according to experts, has been largely achieved. However, stopping the country's nuclear ambitions is a long way off - reaching a new nuclear agreement does not seem to be on the table at the moment, and the country's potential has not been destroyed. Although a large part of the missiles and anti-aircraft systems have been affected by the US and Israeli strikes, some of them are still available, as the latest attacks have shown. At the same time, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon continues, and the regime in Tehran seems to be solidified, at least for now.