Earlier on Saturday, a reporter asked Trump if he thought Iran was "slow-rolling" talks, to which the President replied, "We'll find out soon enough."
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that the United States would initiate renewed operations in the Strait of Hormuz if peace talks with Iran fail to move forward. "We may go back to Project Freedom if things don't happen," said Trump, "but it would be 'Project Freedom Plus,' meaning Project Freedom plus other things." Trump did not elaborate on what elements may be added to Project Freedom. Trump added that Pakistan had asked the US "not to do" Project Freedom. On Tuesday, Trump announced that he would pause Operation Project Freedom, which was initiated to guide ships through the Strait under US military escort. According to an NBC News report on Thursday, pressure from Saudi Arabia also played a role in Trump’s decision to pause the operation.
Also on Saturday, a reporter asked Trump if he thought Iran was "slow-rolling" talks, to which the President replied, "We'll find out soon enough." On Friday, US forces disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to violate the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday, saying the vessels were "no longer transiting to Iran."
The ships had attempted to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman when US forces disabled them. On Thursday, the US also carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian military facilities after Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US ships in the region, CENTCOM confirmed. "US forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman," wrote CENTCOM. (Source)
