The administration’s narrative points to Hormuz’s efforts
The past two days have been emblematic of how the Trump administration’s statements can seem out of sync and difficult to follow.
The president said on Sunday that US forces would safely guide hundreds of blockaded merchant ships through the strait, which Iran has effectively sealed off by firing on ships off its coast.
On Tuesday, Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said two US-flagged cargo ships transited the waterway to lead the effort, but Iran fired on the US ships and the military sank six small Iranian attack boats.
When asked about the fire from both sides, Hegseth said: “No, the ceasefire is not over.” Caine also said the Iranian strikes did not rise to the level of “resuming major combat operations.”
Rubio later insisted that Trump’s preference was diplomacy.
“Operation Epic Fury is over. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” he said, referring to the code name for the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. “What the president would prefer is a deal.”
A deal looked closer when Trump said Tuesday night on social media that he was suspending the operation in the strait to see what would happen with negotiations.
A key ally, Saudi Arabia, had been skeptical of what turned out to be Trump’s short-lived plan to guide the blockaded ships through the strait, according to a person familiar with the diplomatic conversations.
The person, who was familiar with the conversations but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly, said the Saudis conveyed they did not see Trump’s plan as a viable way to open the strait and build confidence for ship operators and insurers seeking a lasting solution to the US-Iranian standoff over the waterway.
The Saudi embassy in Washington did not offer an immediate comment on the kingdom’s position on Trump’s effort, dubbed Project Freedom.
By Wednesday morning, Trump was threatening Iran once again.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing begins and will be, unfortunately, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he wrote on Social Truth.
The US military said on Wednesday it shot down and disabled an Iranian oil tanker as it tried to breach Iran’s shipping blockade.
