The US president has abruptly put his Project Freedom operation on hold after just two days
President Donald Trump has temporarily paused a US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but said the blockade of Iranian ports would “remain in full force and effect” until a final agreement with Tehran is reached.
The so-called Project Freedom operation was launched to guide tankers and other commercial vessels through the key energy chokepoint, which accounts for roughly 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 offensive operation, Epic Fury, was “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 had boasted at a press conference that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit,” after US forces had “embarrassed” Iran with the success of Project Freedom.
The now-aborted operation became the latest flashpoint between Washington and Tehran. Iran’s military warned that any foreign armed force entering the strait would be targeted, insisting that safe passage through the waterway had to be coordinated with Iranian forces.
US Central Command claimed on Monday that American forces had destroyed several small Iranian boats that had allegedly tried to interfere with the mission. Tehran rejected the claim as “lies,” while Iranian media separately 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 claimed the temporary pause in escorts was intended to give negotiators time to see whether a “complete and final agreement” could be finalized.
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