Trump Pauses Project Freedom in Strait of Hormuz as U.S. Blockade of Iranian Ports Continues

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military operation to move stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz has been paused temporarily, while the blockade of Iranian ports remains in full force and effect. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said the decision was made “based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries” and “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement.” He wrote that “Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time” to see whether the agreement can be finalized and signed. The pause came as tensions escalated in the Gulf, with the U.S. military saying it destroyed several Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as cruise missiles and drones. In Washington, DC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. has completed its offensive operations against Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” and said “there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

“It will be paused to see if an agreement can be reached with Iran, Trump said”

ABC News

Rubio insisted the U.S. was taking only defensive action in enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports, telling reporters, “We are only responding if ​attacked first. This is a defensive operation.” He also said the U.S. effort is meant to “rescue” sailors stranded by Iran’s closure of the strait, with Rubio warning that nations are “at risk” and that “at least 10 sailors have already died as a result” of the blockade. Trump’s announcement also drew attention to the legal and political backdrop, with CBC noting criticism from members of Congress who argue Trump has violated provisions of the War Powers Resolution. In the same reporting, CBC said Rubio argued the U.S. effort to ensure safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz was a separate, smaller, defensive operation. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Project Freedom could interfere with peace talks, calling the initiative “Project Deadlock” and adding, “there’s no military solution to a political crisis.”

Even with the pause, the sources describe continued exchanges and pressure around the ceasefire, including statements that the renewed violence does not constitute a breach of the four-week-old truce. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon that “The ceasefire is not over,” and Gen. Dan Caine said hostilities were still “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.” The Washington Post reported that Trump’s immediate-term decision meant that while the U.S. Navy’s interdictions of ships that have entered Iranian ports would continue, the air- and sea-based operations to clear the strait for commercial vessels were on hold. The same reporting said Caine characterized Iran’s actions since the ceasefire as “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations, at this point.” In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a new map of the strait with an expanded area of Iranian control and warned vessels to stick to corridors it set or face a “decisive response.”