Iran says Strait of Hormuz passage to be ensured after US pauses operation

Safe ⁠transit ⁠through the Strait of Hormuz will be ⁠ensured as the United States threats end and with new procedures in place, the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, after the US said it was pausing ⁠operations to help ⁠stranded ships pass through the waterway.

The IRGC statement posted on X on Wednesday did ⁠not specify what ⁠the new procedures entailed. It thanked owners and captains of ships for respecting ‌Iranian regulations when moving through the strait.

The announcement comes a day after US President Donald Trump halted the “Project Freedom” military operation to guide stranded vessels through the waterway.

On Tuesday, the US president said he would briefly pause the operation, citing “great progress” towards a comprehensive agreement with Iran, and saying it came at the request of mediator Pakistan. The US naval blockade of Hormuz, however, remains in effect, Trump said.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said the war could end if “Iran agrees to give what has been agreed ⁠to”.

“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump added.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said Tehran was reviewing a US proposal and would convey its view to mediator Pakistan, the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, mediating between Tehran and Washington, said he was “grateful” for Trump pausing the operation.

Sharif said on Wednesday that the pause will “go a long way towards advancing regional peace, stability and reconciliation during this sensitive period”.

Iran began to block the strait after the US and Israel launched their war on February 28, with Iranian forces attacking a number of ships, laying sea mines and charging fees for safe transit through the narrow channel.

Iran’s establishment of the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” on Tuesday, a new body to regulate and organise the passage of vessels, whether military or commercial, seeks to permanently alter the status of the strait.

“Practically, what Iranians are saying is that this is not a temporary new maritime regime; they are talking about a permanent change in the status of the strait, and they say they are not going to give up on that,” said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran.