What is Trump Freedom Project on Hormuz Strait?

Trump had said the initiative -- Freedom Project -- was a humanitarian gesture"aimed at releasing people, companies and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong". Iran has said ships can cross key waterway only with its authorization, reports BBC, broadcast Periscope.

Trump also announced the new initiative Sunday. Since then, Iran's army said it has fired on American warships to prevent them from sailing along the waterways, and the US say they have sunk small ships - threatening a ceasefire aimed at ending the war.

Then on Tuesday - two days after it was first announced - Trump said the initiative would stop"for a short period of time"to see if the United States and Iran can reach an agreement.

Here's what we know about"Project Freedom"and concerns about whether it can lead to a broader relaunch of hostilities.

How was the American army applying it?

Hormuz Strait has remained largely blocked since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28th - and Tehran responded by blocking the crucial waterway through which 20% of the world's liquid oil and natural gas must pass freely.

The U.S. says there are 22,500 sailors in 1,550 trading ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.

There have been growing concerns about reducing supplies and effects on mariners' physical and mental health.

The American Central Command (Centcom) says that"cruisers with cruise missiles, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain non-pilot platform and 15,000 service members"are being used to support the operation.

In a briefing on the first day of the operation, Centcom Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said ships from 87 countries were stranded in the Persian Gulf - and the U.S. had contacted"4 ships and transport companies to encourage traffic flow".

It was not clear when the operation was announced whether the United States would try to provide stranded vessels with a military escort.

Mick Mullroy, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence and a Navy veteran, told the BBC that he believed the US Army would likely focus more on air coverage and protection from fears or rocket attacks than on the physical escort of ships.

The question is whether the ships will trust their ability to pass without being attacked, and most importantly, the insurance company", he said, before the operation was interrupted.

Tim Wilkins, managing director in Intertanco, a commercial body representing independent tank owners and operators, told the BBC that the Trump administration did not create any coordinates for the operation, leaving members concerned about their security during transit to Ngustica.

Are the ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz?

On Monday afternoon, Centcom said US Navy-run missile destroyers were operating in the Persian Gulf"as they passed through the Hormuz Strait in support of the Free"Project.

He added that American forces were actively assisting the efforts to restore transit to commercial ships", but did not provide details.

As a first step, 2 American flagships have successfully crossed the Hormuz Strait and have started safely on their"trip, Centcom also said. Again, no details were published about the identity of commercial ships.

The shipping company Maersk confirmed that one of its ships was able to escape the Persian Gulf, accompanied by the American military.

But Iran's mighty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied that any ships had gone through the Strait.

However, for now, with the operation to help instruct banned ships, it is unclear whether more ships will be able to sail through it.

Is Iran shooting American warships and other ships?

Hours after the American operation was scheduled to begin Monday, the Iranian Army said it had shot down against"American enemy and syonist", who said Americans had been ignoring"".

Centcom soon denied Iranian claims that a warship was hit by two rockets. She confirmed that Iran fired cruise missiles both on American warships and on commercial ships with the American flag, while fears and small ships were used against commercial ships.

The United Arab Emirates (EBA) - a US Gulf ally who has often been attacked by Iran during the war - said a tankman linked to Adnoc, her state oil company, was targeted by two fears as it passed the Hormuz Strait.

No one was hurt, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement. At least three missile surveillances were also reported.

An alleged attack hit a South Korean cargo ship anchored in the Strait, near the United Arab Emirates.

Centcom Commander Cooper said some of the attacking American helicopters supporting the mission were used to sink six small Iranian ships targeting civilian ships. Iran has denied this.

Iran insisted that it will undertake crucial <x0 operations"against ships that do not use the path adopted by the regime through the strait.

The country's chief negotiator has accused the US of jeopardising the safety of shipping with its blockade of Iranian ports, saying the subsequent"status quo is inlerable for America".

Trump, on Tuesday, said the United States was halting the new operation at Pakistan's request -- mediators in negotiations between the US and Iran, along with other countries.

Is the war with Iran under way again?

When Trump announced the ban on the initiative on social media on Tuesday, he said there was a"major progress"towards a full and final"agreement with Iran.

He said Rustica would remain blocked during the ban.

The White House told the BBC there was nothing to add to the president's post.

Iranian state media said the ban showed that the Trump was"attracted"after the ongoing"punishment"in its efforts to reopen the waterway vital for global sea transport.

Grant Rumley, a Middle Eastern expert who served as adviser to the Benden and Trump administrations between 2018 and 2018, said the plan to secure the passage for ships to the Persian Gulf would be"very, very difficult".

Before they were interrupted, he noted that such an operation would likely require a stronger military option and, on <x0kinetic">>.

" "not if. "

Nitya Labh, an associate with London's Chatham House International Security Programme, said the American operation was an extremely dangerous" "and"quite scaling".

She added that, if"The Trump Freedom Project"managed to get some ships out of the strait, "would be a temporary relief in the best case" - would require a more stable effort to pave the critical waterway.

At a conference Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked if American operations in the strait meant the ceasefire was over.

No, the truce is not over,"he said. "This is a special and distinctive project. "

Joint Army Chief of Staff General Dan Caine said that even though Iran had fired nine times against commercial ships, confiscated two container ships and attacked US forces 10 times since the ceasefire agreement on April 8th, these actions were below the threshold of relaunching major combat operations"at this point". /Periscope/