Summary

  • Donald Trump says the US is pausing its operation to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz - here's what we know

  • In a social media post, the US president says the pause will last "for a short period of time" to see if a peace deal with Iran "can be finalised". He also says the US's blockade of Iran's ports will continue

  • Iranian state media hails the move as a victory, saying Trump has "retreated" and accuses the president of trying to "cover up the failure" of his operation

  • What happens next is unclear - the US will hope this is seen as a gesture that helps bring Iran to the negotiating table again, writes our White House reporter

  • Dubbed "Project Freedom", the US operation said it would help free commercial ships stuck in the Gulf - the Pentagon said on Tuesday around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 vessels are still trapped

  • Meanwhile, on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the offensive stage of the Iran war is "over" and that the US had achieved its objectives

Live Reporting

Edited by Ben Hatton and Craig Hoyle

  1. Tracking data shows little movement near the strait

    A red circle is shown on a diagram of the Strait of Hormuz, positioned on the strait. Land is shown in dark grey and water white, with red, green, blue and purple colours being used to indicateMarineTraffic

    There is little movement around the Strait of Hormuz again today according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.

    The precise movements of ships in the area has been difficult to verify throughout the conflict, with some ships turning off their transponders, and with GPS interference thought to be producing unreliable information.

    Under normal circumstances, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes through the waterway.

    It also sees about one-third of the world's fertiliser trade, as well as vital imports to the Middle East, including food, medicines and technological supplies, pass through.

    But Iran has severely limited traffic through the vital shipping route since the war began in February, while the US has launched its own blockade on Iranian ports.

    The Pentagon said on Tuesday that around around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 vessels are stuck in the Gulf. There has been growing concern over dwindling supplies and the effects on sailors' physical and mental health.

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  2. A closer look at the paused US plan to guide ships through the strait

    Donald Trump speaks while sitting in the Oval Office. He is wearing a dark suit and navy tie with red and white dots.Reuters

    As we've been reporting, Trump said the US operation to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be paused on Tuesday evening.

    "Project Freedom" was announced by the US president on Sunday, with Trump saying it was a "humanitarian gesture" to help the seafarers stuck in the Gulf.

    US Central Command (Centcom) said it was "essential" to regional security and the global economy.

    Iran responded by saying it would attack US forces if they entered the strait, with Iranian media later reporting a US warship had been hit by two missiles.

    This claim was denied by Centcom, which said two US-flagged merchant vessels had successfully passed the strait with the US Navy.

    Trump also said US forces had struck seven Iranian "small boats" he said had tried to attack commercial ships - disputed by Iran - with the US president later telling Fox News that Iran would be "blown off the face of the Earth" if it attacks US vessels.

    On Tuesday, Iran's chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of breaching the ceasefire.

    Later in the day, the US president announced the operation would be paused for a "short period", saying it followed "great progress" made towards an agreement with Iran, and after a request from Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator between the US and Iran.

    The US military says around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 commercial vessels are struck in the Gulf.

  3. US still enforcing separate blockade of Iranian ports

    Separately to Donald Trump's newly-paused operation to guide boats out of the Strait of Hormuz, the US military has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports - and the US president says this will "remain in full force".

    It was announced in mid-April, when US forces said they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast.

    Speaking after the blockade was announced, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said it would target "any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran", including "dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil".

    On Tuesday, US Central Command gave an update on this blockade, saying that it had redirected 51 vessels to date.

    US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine shows a map of the blockade area on 16 April - with US forces marked in blue and Iranian ships in redAFP via Getty Images

    US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine shows a map of the blockade area on 16 April - with US forces marked in blue and Iranian ships in red

  4. How Iranian media is framing the US's announcement

    We've not yet had an official response from senior figures in the Iranian regime to Trump's "pausing" of the US operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

    But several Iranian media outlets have framed the US announcement as a victory for Iran.

    The hardline Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), writes that "Trump has retreated" and that the US president had tried "to cover up the failure" of the operation.

    While Iran's state-run IRNA news agency calls it "America's defeat" and says that Trump has used his "last card".

  5. 'Project Freedom will be paused for a short period' - Trump's statement in full

    A file photo of President Trump sitting at his deskReuters

    As we've been reporting, Trump posted on Tuesday announcing that he was pausing the military operation, first announced on Sunday, to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Here's his post in full:

    Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed. President DONALD J. TRUMP

    The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route in the Gulf region, is one of the world's most important shipping routes. Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea. The strait is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East - and their customers.

  6. Australia to spend A$10bn on securing energy supplies

    A crude oil and product tanker, sits at Viva Energy Australia's Gore Bay fuel terminal overlooking the city skyline in Sydney.Reuters

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced his government will spend A$10bn ($7.2bn; £5.3bn) on securing energy supplies, prompted by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

    Under the package, Australia will establish a government-owned fuel reserve of around a billion litres, boosting the country's critical reserves of diesel and jet fuel to 50 days.

    Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese told reporters: "This is aimed at making sure that Australians can have more confidence in protecting our energy sovereignty, not just during this crisis, but going forward as well, protecting our nation's energy interests."

    Australia has faced some of its biggest ever spikes in petrol and diesel prices since the start of hostilities in Iran.

  7. Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers meet in Beijing

    China's foreign minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi for talks in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving further details.

    Araghchi was set to "discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments" with Wang, Iran's Fars news agency reported earlier.

    Araghchi's trip comes before a scheduled visit to China next week by Donald Trump, who is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Trump delayed his trip after his administration and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

  8. Analysis

    Iran likely to characterise pause of Project Freedom as a victory

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    White House reporter

    Donald Trump's post announcing a "pause" in Project Freedom will come as a surprise to many.

    It undercuts a day's worth of messaging from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine - all of whom vowed that the operation will ensure freedom of navigation and commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.

    What happens next is unclear.

    Earlier, it was made clear that Project Freedom is a "separate and distinct" campaign from the blockade, which is meant to pressure Iran economically.

    Project Freedom was meant to help restore the flow of oil from the region and the eventual return to normality of the global economy.

    If during the "pause" global shipping firms and the insurance companies that work with them feel as though they are unable to move because of Iranian interference, that objective will be very difficult for Trump to claim has been achieved.

    On the other hand, the administration will hope that the freeze in Project Freedom - which the Iranians strongly objected to - is seen as a gesture that helps bring them to the negotiating table again.

    In the meantime, Iran will very likely characterise the pause as a victory.

  9. Rubio says 'Operation Epic Fury' is over

    Before President Donald Trump's announcement that the US would pause "Project Freedom", Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a briefing at the White House confirming that "Operation Epic Fury" - the name given to the initial US-Israeli offensive against Iran - had finished.

    "Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation," Rubio said, adding the offensive stage of the war with Iran was "over".

    Rubio said Trump would now prefer to reach a deal with Iran including a memorandum of understanding on how the Strait of Hormuz can be fully reopened.

    "That's the route he prefers. That is so far not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio said.

  10. US pauses operation to guide vessels through Strait of Hormuz

    hips and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman.Reuters

    US President Donald Trump has halted the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after less than 48 hours. However, a US blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place, he said.

    Trump said he made the decision following a request by Pakistan - which has acted as a mediator between the US and Iran - because "Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement" with Tehran.

    Iranian state media described the move as a "retreat" after Trump's "continued failures" to reopen the vital waterway for global shipping.

    Shortly before Trump's announcement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said the initial US-Israeli offensive in Iran - Operation Epic Fury - was "over" after its objectives had been achieved.

    Stay with us as we bring you more updates.