Trump Pauses Project Freedom After Two Days

President Trump has suspended Project Freedom after two days. The operation aimed to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

BBC Verify has outlined the timeline. Capt. Raman Kapoor, captain of a stranded ship in the strait, told the BBC of the pressure his vessel faces. His ship is among several caught in the power struggle between the US and Iran.

The rival blockades by the US and Iran have turned into a test of wills, according to BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet. She described the situation as a dangerous standoff.

Masked Iranian forces appeared to seize ships in a staged video. Analysis shows parts of the footage were filmed hours after the reported seizures.

Trump also claimed he saved eight Iranian women from execution. Iran denied the assertion.

In related developments, the United Arab Emirates is quitting OPEC after nearly 60 years as a member.

Pro-regime demonstrators gathered in Tehran after the US and Iran announced a two-week conditional ceasefire. Lyse Doucet reported from Iran that Tehran does not believe it has lost the war. Iranians told her they do not know if the ceasefire will hold. She described life in the capital as on pause.

Destruction in Iran shows the huge civilian cost of the war, Doucet said. Military targets have been hit, but so have civilian areas.

Iranians want a solution to the long-running animosity with the US, but their leaders are not willing to make a deal on Washington's terms.

The BBC's Nick Marsh examined whether fuel prices will drop now that the US and Iran have agreed to the ceasefire.