James Stout

Following that, a Maersk vessel sailed through the Strait.

The Alliance Fairfax is a United States flagged vessel and it received assistance from the US military.

And then the motor tanker Anthem of Crowley Maritime also sailed through.

Trump has called this assistance, quote, project freedom.

True thing.

For the good of Iran, the Middle East and the United States, we have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.

Again, these are ships from areas of the world that are not in any way involved with that which is currently taking place in the Middle East.

I have told my representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their ships and crews safely out the strait.

Exactly what this meant was unclear when the president first truthed it.

But what it seems, what I've seen reported now is that the United States advised them on safe routes and then provided in at least two cases security detachment to go on board the ships.

Despite this, the UK MTO still has reports of attacks and on Tuesday night it reported that one vessel had been hit.

And so it does not seem that there has been like a universal ability to allow vessels to move through the strait.

The United States also claims to have sunk seven small Iranian vessels in the strait.

Let's hear from Marco Rubio where he's explaining a little bit about why the US is doing this.

So the United States, they're wanting to be helpful, help the world with their humanitarian aid.

On Tuesday, the president then truthed,

Based on 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, we have mutually agreed that while the blockade will remain in place and will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom, the movement of ships with straightforward moves, will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the agreement can be finalized and signed.

So that was the 24-hour duration of Project Freedom.

Rest in peace.

If they don't agree, the bombing starts and it will be sadly at a much higher level and intensity than it was before President Donald J. Trump.