US petrol prices hit highest level in years – as it happened

This blog is now closed. Our full report is here: Trump puts ‘Project Freedom’ on hold, saying he hopes to finalise a deal with Iran This blog is closed but you can read our full report on the Iran war and wider Middle East crisis here. President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening said he has paused ‘Project Freedom’ – the effort to guide stranded commercial vessels from the strait of Hormuz – in order to finalise a deal with Iran to end the war. Trump also said the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue. He announced the decision in a social media post Tuesday evening. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran is yet to comment on Trump’s statement. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said earlier that major US military operations against Iran are over. He said Iran must agree to US demands on its nuclear program and reopen the strait. Rubio said recent clashes with Iran related to US efforts to reopen the strait were “defensive in nature”. While Rubio was speaking, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a cargo vessel had been struck by a projectile in the strait. Further details of the incident were not