The US president has abruptly put ‘Project Freedom’ on hold after just two days.
US President Donald Trump has temporarily paused a military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but said the blockade of Iranian ports will “remain in full force and effect” until a final agreement with Tehran is reached.
Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’ was launched to guide tankers and other commercial vessels through the key energy chokepoint, which accounts for around one-fifth of global oil flows. Announcing the mission on Sunday, Trump described it as a humanitarian effort rather than an offensive operation.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other countries,” as well as “great progress” in talks with Iranian representatives, Washington and Tehran have “mutually agreed” to put the ship-movement operation on hold “for a short period,” Trump abruptly announced on Truth Social two days later.
Just hours earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists that the original operation (Epic Fury) is over, adding: “We’re now on to this Project Freedom.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also appeared to be caught off guard by the announcement. Earlier on Tuesday, he boasted at a press conference that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit,” after US forces “embarrassed” Iran with the success of Project Freedom.
The now-aborted operation is the latest flashpoint between Washington and Tehran. Iran warned that any foreign military entering the strait would be targeted, insisting that safe passage through the waterway must be coordinated with Iranian forces.
US Central Command claimed on Monday that US forces destroyed several small Iranian boats that tried to interfere with the mission. Tehran rejected the claims, while Iranian media reported that Iranian forces had fired warning shots near US naval vessels.
“Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X, warning the US to “be wary of being dragged back into a quagmire by ill-wishers.”
The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of the crisis since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February. The US and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire in early April, but tensions have continued over maritime access, with Tehran calling Washington’s naval blockade an “act of war” and a violation of the truce.
Trump said the temporary pause in escorts is intended to give negotiators time to see whether a “complete and final agreement” could be finalized.
