President Trump on Tuesday abruptly paused an American initiative to help guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
An exchange of fire threatened to shatter a fragile cease-fire as President Trump seeks to break Iran’s effective blockade of the waterway.
The drone and missile attacks were the first of their kind since the U.S.-Iranian cease-fire began last month. They coincided with reported clashes between American and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Describing the transfer of the crew from the MV Touska cargo ship back to Iran as a ‘confidence-building measure’ between U.S. and Iranian officials, Pakistan again plays a mediating role.
President Trump offered few details on how the new program, which he called Project Freedom, would work, but said interference would be dealt with “forcefully.”
With President Trump’s visit to Beijing looming, China is pushing Iran to negotiate even as its companies export material that could be used by Iran’s military.
The location and timing of the attack fueled concerns about collaboration between Somali pirates and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen under the cover of Mideast turmoil.
The details of the latest plan were unclear, and President Trump did not specify his objections.
The Nord, a 464-foot vessel, appears to be tied to Aleksei A. Mordashov, a Russian steel mogul who is under American and European sanctions.
At a military base outside Portsmouth, England, a 24-hour service monitors the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and part of the Indian Ocean, responding to distress calls.