Middle East crisis live: Trump changes strait of Hormuz plan again as Rubio says US offensive is ‘over’

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US president says he will briefly pause Project Freedom after just one day; Rubio says US has achieved objectives of Iran operation; Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi flies to ChinaTrump puts ‘Project Freedom’ on hold, saying he hopes to finalise deal with IranWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Donald Trump has said the effort to guide vessels out of strait of Hormuz is paused while the US aims to finalise a deal with Iran. The president announced the decision in a social media post on Tuesday evening, saying he was pausing the effort for a short period to give space for US efforts to final a settlement with Iran to end the war.US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the military objectives of so-called “Operation Epic Fury” have concluded and the offensive stage of the war with Iran is “over”. Speaking at the White House press briefing, Rubio insisted that ongoing US military action in the strait of Hormuz is “defensive” in nature and a separate operation, in line with the Trump administration’s argument that it doesn’t need approval from Congress to continue the war against Iran. “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” he told reporters, urging Iran to “make the sensible choice” and negotiate a deal.With the status of the ceasefire in doubt, Donald Trump declined to say what would constitute a violation, telling reporters only that Iran knows “what not to do”. It comes amid rising tensions after both sides exchanged fire in the strait of Hormuz on Monday. “Well, you’ll find out because I’ll let you know,” the US president said. “They know what to do, or what not to do more importantly.”Before Trump’s announcement on Tuesday evening, his defense secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that “Project Freedom” had allowed the US to gain control of the strait, despite Iran claiming it has actually strengthened its control of the waterway, and thousands of cargo ships remain stranded there.Rubio framed the US’s operation in the strait of Hormuz as a rescue effort, saying that Iran had left thousands of mariners “for dead”. He said the US was trying to reopen the strait “as a favour to the world”, neglecting to mention that its closure is the result of the war the US started.Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday morning, the official Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details. It was the first time since the start of the war that Araghchi has traveled to China, whose close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence.Meanwhile, the UK maritime authority reported a cargo vessel being struck “by an unknown projectile” in critical waterway.And for a second consecutive day, the United Arab Emirates said its air defences had shot down missiles and drones from Iran. Tehran did not immediately comment. It comes a day after the UAE said it had intercepted 15 Iranian missiles and four drones. Continue reading...

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