DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening he was pausing the out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the , but that the American forces鈥� blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
Meanwhile, Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday morning, the official Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details.
It was the first time since the start of the war that Araghchi has traveled to China, whose close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a .
Earlier in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed hope that the need to release its chokehold on the strait, which is a vital waterway for global energy.
Iran鈥檚 effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and , has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and . Breaking Iran鈥檚 grip would deny its main source of leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran鈥檚 disputed nuclear program.
US to pause latest efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Trump announced the decision in a social media post, saying the latest effort 鈥� which started Monday 鈥� would pause for a short period to see whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war in the Middle East could be finalized.
Trump said the move was based 鈥渙n the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.鈥�
The White House did not respond to a request for comment or further detail on the progress in negotiations that Trump mentioned. They had appeared to have largely stalled in the conflict that started Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
US officials say ceasefire is holding, despite attacks on UAE
The a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, said it came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles for a second day Tuesday.
But U.S. military leaders and Rubio insisted the nearly month-old ceasefire was still holding and that 鈥� while 鈥� the initial major U.S. military operation against Iran has concluded.
Before the Trump announcement, Rubio told a White House press briefing that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump鈥檚 demands on its nuclear program and also agree to reopen the .
鈥淲e would prefer the path of peace,鈥� Rubio said.
Rubio also described the day-old U.S. push to reopen the strait to maritime traffic as a defensive operation, aimed at helping thousands of civilian sailors stranded there by the war.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e sitting ducks, they鈥檙e isolated, they鈥檙e starving, they鈥檙e vulnerable,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淎t least 10 sailors have already died as a result.鈥�
On Monday, the U.S. said it had opened a lane and sunk six small Iranian boats that had threatened commercial ships. So far, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the new U.S.-guarded route, with hundreds more bottled up in the Persian Gulf.
Iran says the new US effort violates ceasefire
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S. military鈥檚 top officer, told a news conference that Iran鈥檚 renewed attacks had not reached the threshold of what Caine called 鈥渕ajor combat operations.鈥� He said Tuesday was a 鈥渜uieter鈥� day in the strait.
At the White House, Rubio said clashes with Iran related to American efforts to reopen the straight were 鈥渄efensive in nature.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 no shooting unless we鈥檙e shot at first, OK?鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not attacking them.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, signaled that Iran has yet to fully respond to the U.S. attempt to reopen the waterway.
鈥淲e know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet,鈥� he said in a post on X. His statement did not mention negotiations with the U.S. that are now in the form of passing messages via Pakistan.
Disputing Washington鈥檚 claim of sinking six Iranian boats, an Iranian military commander said two small civilian cargo boats were hit Monday, killing five civilians, Iran鈥檚 state TV reported.
Caine, the top U.S. general who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 100 U.S. military aircraft are patrolling the skies over the strait. The U.S. has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to .
The Trump administration has cited the April 8 ceasefire in does not have to give a formal update to Congress on the war under the War Powers Resolution. That law typically requires presidents to seek formal approval from Congress for war activities 60 days after beginning military action.
Shippers remain wary
So far, just two civilian vessels, both U.S.-flagged merchant ships, are known to have passed through the strait as part of the lane the U.S. says it has created. Shipping company Maersk said one of them, a vehicle carrier that it operates, exited the strait safely Monday with U.S. military assistance.
Former military officers who have served on the strait have said opening the waterway that is would be , even with military escorts, which the U.S. is not providing now.
Hapag-Lloyd AG, one of the world鈥檚 largest container shipping companies, said in a statement that its risk assessment 鈥渞emains unchanged鈥� and that transits through the strait 鈥渁re for the moment not possible for our ships.鈥�
Iran has attacked ships that try to transit without going through its own route in the northern part of the strait along the Iranian coastline. That involves being vetted by Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard and in some cases making a payment.
The U.S.-approved route goes through territorial waters of Oman to the south.
The UAE bore the brunt of Iran鈥檚 retaliation
The UAE鈥檚 Defense Ministry said it was responding to another Iranian drone and missile attack on Tuesday, though there were no reports of damage or casualties. A day earlier, it said Emirati air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones from Iran, one of which sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals.
The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE, also on Monday. On Tuesday, it reported that a cargo vessel in the strait had been struck by an 鈥渦nknown projectile,鈥� without further details.
Iran denied striking the UAE 鈥渋n recent days,鈥� according to a statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran鈥檚 joint military command, that was read Tuesday on state TV.
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Madhani and Finley reported from Washington, and Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing; Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations; Collin Binkley and Matthew Lee in Washington; Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.
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