Donald Trump Pauses Project Freedom Through Strait Of Hormuz For Iran Deal Talks

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening that the U.S. initiative to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, called "Project Freedom," would be paused for "a short period of time" while Washington sought to finalize a "Complete and Final Agreement" with representatives of Iran. Trump said the decision followed "the request of Pakistan and other Countries" and that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would remain in "full force and effect." The pause came as the U.S. and Iran traded fire and threats over the strait, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserting the ceasefire was "not over" despite clashes. NBC News also reported that the U.S. military said Iran attacked U.S. Navy and commercial ships with cruise missiles Monday and launched drones and small boats, while Trump said the U.S. destroyed eight Iranian boats.

As Trump paused the mission, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Operation Epic Fury was over and that current actions to help ships safely navigate the strait were not an offensive operation, saying, "The operation is over. Epic Fury is — the president notified Congress we’re done with that stage of it." Rubio also described the approach as defensive, adding, "There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first." Iran’s response included defiance from parliamentary speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who wrote on X that while the situation was "unbearable" for America, Iran has "not even begun yet," and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that there was "no military solution to a political crisis" and that "Project Freedom is Project Deadlock." The BBC reported that Iranian state media characterized the pause as a victory, saying the move showed Trump "retreated" after "continued failures" to reopen the waterway for global shipping.

The pause left the immediate status of shipping uncertain, with the Washington Post reporting that more than 1,500 commercial ships were still waiting to get through Iran’s closure of the waterway even as the U.S. said interdictions of ships entering Iranian ports would continue. The Washington Post also said that in the immediate term, air- and sea-based operations to clear the strait for commercial vessels were on hold, while CMA CGM confirmed that one of its vessels, the San Antonio, was attacked while transiting the strait a day earlier, resulting in injuries to crew members and damage to the vessel. In parallel, the BBC reported that the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a verified source told it a cargo vessel in the strait had been struck "by an unknown projectile," and the BBC noted that the UAE said its air defences were engaging missiles and drones from Iran for a second day in a row. With the ceasefire described as still holding but fragile, the stakes described in the sources centered on whether the pause would allow a deal to be finalized and signed while attacks and disruptions continued around the strait.