(Web Desk) - US President Donald Trump warned that Washington may escalate its military posture in the Strait of Hormuz if a deal with Iran is not finalized, threatening to revive and expand the paused "Project Freedom" operation.
"We'll go a different route if everything doesn't get signed up, buttoned up," Trump told reporters at the White House.
When asked whether the US would return to "Project Freedom," Trump responded, "I don’t think so," but added that it still "might do it."
He explained that Pakistan, which is mediating talks between Washington and Tehran, asked the US not to resume the military operation.
"We may go back to Project Freedom if things don't happen," he said. "It’ll be Project Freedom Plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things," without elaborating on what additional measures the expanded operation would entail.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by Trump without a set deadline.
Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the waterway. Trump announced Tuesday that the US military will temporarily pause "Project Freedom" to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and said the American blockade will remain "in full force and effect."
US-IRAN TALKS LIKELY TO RESUME IN ISLAMABAD
Talks between the US and Iran could resume as early as next week in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Journal said the two sides are working with mediators to formulate a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding that would set the parameters for a month of talks aimed at ending the war.
The draft is said to include discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and possible handling of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles to another country, though key issues remain unresolved.
The extent of any sanctions relief, however, remains up for debate and could snarl talks. If negotiations progress, the initial one-month period could be extended by mutual agreement, according to the report.
‘CONFUSING SITUATION’ AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MANAGES ‘STATE OF LIMBO’ WITH IRAN
The whole Trump administration seems to hold the view what is happening now with Iran is not a state of war, but a state of limbo in a way.
That an end to the conflict has been reached and the US is now working to managing this pause and achieve the negotiating terms it insists on.
You have a degree of unity on this from the president, the secretary of state, the secretary of defence and others in Trump’s administration.
They all imply the war is over but the United States is standing ready to strike should it decide to and begin the war again. It’s something of a confusing situation.