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U.S. President Donald Trump warned Friday that Washington could escalate its military posture in the Strait of Hormuz if negotiations with Iran fail to produce an agreement, raising the possibility of reviving and expanding the suspended "Project Freedom" operation.
"We'll go a different route if everything doesn't get signed up and buttoned up," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"We may go back to Project Freedom if things don't happen," he added. "It’ll be Project Freedom Plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things," without specifying what additional measures the expanded operation could involve.
Trump announced earlier this week that a U.S.-led military and maritime operation had been launched to guide stranded vessels in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
The operation was paused less than 48 hours later as negotiations with Tehran continued despite renewed clashes in the region. Even after the pause, the broader U.S. naval blockade on Iranian maritime traffic stayed in place.
Trump stated that Pakistan, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, requested that the U.S. refrain from resuming the military campaign.
He also said he expected Iran to deliver its response to Washington’s latest proposal aimed at ending the Middle East conflict later Friday. "I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight, so we’ll see how that goes," he remarked.
According to the U.S. media, Washington presented Tehran with a 14-point framework designed to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal reportedly includes a temporary ceasefire, phased sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the gradual lifting of maritime restrictions in the Gulf.
The framework also seeks broader negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Under the proposal, Iran would reportedly suspend uranium enrichment for at least 12 years and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for economic concessions and a rollback of U.S. pressure measures.
The proposal further calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days and formally ending the current phase of the conflict while both sides continue negotiations on a longer-term agreement.
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