U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared in the White House press room on Tuesday, where he touted the plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The same plan came from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. However, President Donald Trump decided he didn't like it, the New Republic reported Wednesday.
Rubio touted the plan as being "key" to a final end to the war.
“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” Rubio said. “We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal.”
Hegseth too championed the new plan in his press conference, bragging, “Two U.S. commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the Strait, showing the lane is clear.
He claimed, "We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the Strait. They do not." He pledged that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up” to leave the strait with U.S. help.
“We maintain the upper hand," said Hegseth. That faltered late Tuesday afternoon as Trump announced the blockade was back on.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed."
Then he "changed his mind, hung his surrogates out to dry," wrote The New Republic.
By Wednesday morning, Trump was using another tactic that had failed in the past: declaring victory for a third time.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for parliament's foreign policy and national security committee, disputed the reports, posting on X.
"The Axios text is more of an American wish list than a reality; Americans will not gain anything in a war they are losing that they have not gained in face-to-face negotiations," he said about the plan that Trump has flip-flopped on.