Donald Trump Pauses Project Freedom To Guide Ships Out Of Strait Of Hormuz

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has paused the U.S. effort to guide stranded commercial vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue.

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Trump made the decision in a social media post on Tuesday evening, writing that “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.”

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The pause was described as temporary and tied to negotiations, with Trump saying the move was based “on the request of Pakistan and other Countries” and “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that major U.S. military operations against Iran are over, saying “Operation Epic Fury” is “concluded” because the mission’s objectives were “all successfully concluded.”

Rubio also insisted the current posture is defensive, telling reporters, “We are only responding if attacked first. This is a defensive operation,” and adding, “If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we're not firing shots, but if we're fired on we will respond.”

In Washington, the announcement came as the United Arab Emirates said it came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles for a second day, and as the U.S. military said it had destroyed several Iranian boats as well as cruise missiles and drones.

Rubio’s remarks framed the pause as a shift away from offensive action, even as the Strait of Hormuz remained contested.

At the White House, Rubio said “Operation Epic Fury” — the attack the U.S. and Israel mounted on Iran on Feb. 28 — “is concluded” because “the objectives of the mission were all successfully concluded.”

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He told reporters, “We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur,” and said the U.S. would “prefer the path of peace,” while still requiring Iran to agree to U.S. demands on its nuclear program and reopen the strait.

Rubio also described the U.S. effort to reopen Hormuz as “defensive in nature,” and said, “There's no shooting unless we're shot at first, OK?” while insisting, “We're not attacking them.”

In the same briefing, Rubio said the strait’s shutdown had left civilian sailors stranded and vulnerable, describing them as “They're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable,” and adding, “At least 10 sailors have already died as a result.”

DW reported that Rubio said offensive operations against Iran are over and that the U.S. was only taking defensive action in enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports, quoting him as saying, “The operation is over – Epic Fury – as the president notified Congress, we're done with that stage of it.”

Multiple outlets tied the pause directly to diplomacy and to Pakistan’s role in mediating U.S.-Iran talks.

“Trump announces pause on 'Project Freedom' in Strait of Hormuz US and Iran have mutually agreed that 'Project Freedom' will be paused for a short period, while US blockade will remain 'in full force and effect,’ says US president Diyar Güldoğan 06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026 Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Washington DC US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US military will temporarily pause "Project Freedom" to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz”

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Trump said he was pausing Project Freedom “based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries,” and he added that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”

CBS News reported that Trump said the project was on hold “for a short period of time” because the U.S. and Iran have made “Great Progress…toward a Complete and Final Agreement,” and it said the request came from Pakistan, which has helped mediate negotiations between the United States and Iran.

NPR similarly described the pause as a way to “finalize an Iran deal,” saying Trump announced he was pausing the effort for a short period to give space for U.S. efforts to finalize a settlement with Iran to end the war.

Al Jazeera wrote that Trump said the decision was made “based on the request” of Pakistan and other countries and “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement,” and it quoted Trump’s language that “Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time.”

Axios framed the pause as an about-face after the operation began on Monday and after an exchange of fire and Iranian missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates for the first time since the ceasefire was announced a month ago, while still quoting Trump’s Truth Social message about “Great Progress…toward a Complete and Final Agreement.”

While Project Freedom was paused, the U.S. and its officials continued to emphasize the plight of sailors and the economic pressure tied to the Strait of Hormuz.

DW reported that gasoline prices in the United States increased by 50% since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February, citing the American Automobile Association (AAA) and saying the price of a gallon of regular gasoline hit an average of $4.48 (€3.83) on Tuesday.

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DW also connected the price pressure to the strait, stating that the Strait of Hormuz, through which “a fifth of the world’s crude oil normally passes,” has effectively been shut, leaving oil tankers stranded.

NPR described the U.S. effort earlier in the day as aimed at helping thousands of civilian sailors stranded there by the war, quoting Rubio as saying, “They're sitting ducks, they're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable,” and “At least 10 sailors have already died as a result.”

CNBC reported that the Trump administration said nearly “23,000 sailors on vessels representing 87 countries have been stranded in the Persian Gulf,” and it quoted Rubio saying they have been “left for dead” by the Iranian regime.

Across these reports, the U.S. blockade remained central, with NPR stating that the U.S. has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its economy.

The pause unfolded against a backdrop of continuing exchanges in the Gulf and competing claims about attacks.

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WHEC reported that Israel’s military said late Tuesday that Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon had launched “several rockets” toward Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, and it said no injuries were reported, while also saying Israel intercepted drones and what it called “aerial targets” launched by Hezbollah before they crossed into Israeli territory.

CBC

In the Strait of Hormuz context, NBC News said the ceasefire was in peril Tuesday after the United States and Iran traded fire and threats over Trump’s mission, and it quoted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserting at a Pentagon briefing that the ceasefire was “not over.”

NBC News also said the U.S. military said on Monday Iran’s forces attacked U.S. Navy and commercial ships with cruise missiles and launched drones and small boats under U.S. escort, while Trump said the U.S. destroyed eight Iranian boats.

CBS News described Iranian officials as reacting furiously to Project Freedom, warning that any ship that tries to transit the strait without its permission will be targeted, and it said on Monday two U.S. Navy destroyers faced “a barrage of Iranian missiles, drones and boats” but were not hit due to defensive measures and air support.

DW reported that Iran’s military “categorically denied” launching any attacks on the United Arab Emirates this week, quoting the central command statement: “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not launch any missile or drone operation against the United Arab Emirates these past days.”