Trump Pauses Project Freedom as U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Holds and Blockade Continues

President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that the U.S. and Iran have made "Great Progress" toward a final agreement and that the U.S. will pause "Project Freedom" while the blockade remains in full force and effect. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters the U.S.-Iran ceasefire "certainly holds" for now, while he described Project Freedom as separate and "temporary" from the broader campaign. The pause came after Rubio said the offensive military operation known as Operation Epic Fury has concluded, and the U.S. moved on to Project Freedom. In the same reporting cycle, Gen. Dan Caine said there are more than 1,500 vessels with about 22,500 mariners trapped inside the Persian Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz standoff continues.

“The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is still in place despite bursts of military action around the Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth tells reporters”

Al Jazeera

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing for talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, and Fars reported that Araghchi would discuss "bilateral relations and regional and international developments" with his Chinese counterpart. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to put pressure on Araghchi, telling reporters, "I hope the Chinese tell (Araghchi) what he needs to be told" and that what was being done in the straits was causing China to be "globally isolated." In parallel, the BBC reported that Trump said Project Freedom would be halted by "mutual agreement" because "Great Progress" had been made toward a deal with Iran. The BBC also quoted Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf saying, "We know well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America, while we are just getting started."

As Project Freedom was paused, the blockade of Iranian ports remained in place, with Trump saying the pause was to see whether the agreement can be finalized and signed. The Washington Post reported that the pause halted the air- and sea-based operations to clear the strait for commercial vessels, even as the U.S. Navy’s interdictions of ships that have entered Iranian ports continued. The same reporting said both sides exchanged fire in the past day over the strait and that the U.S. destroyed at least six Iranian fast boats in return, while Hegseth emphasized the fragile ceasefire remained in place. The stakes were also framed in terms of stranded crews and the global shipping bottleneck, with CBS News citing that Project Freedom began Monday and that there are more than 1,500 vessels with about 22,500 mariners waiting to transit.

“Trump to pause US effort to guide vessels out of Strait of Hormuz to allow time for an Iran deal President Donald Trump downplayed tensions with Iran Tuesday, calling the conflict a “skirmish” and claiming the U”

AP News