Trump pauses Project Freedom as Iran deal talks advance

President Donald Trump abruptly paused Project Freedom, the U.S. escort mission for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, only a day after it began, betting that pressure on Iran can now be handled at the negotiating table instead of on the water.

Trump said the move would last “for a short period of time” while Washington and Tehran worked toward what he called “Great Progress…toward a Complete and Final Agreement.” He said the pause came at the request of Pakistan, which has helped mediate U.S.-Iran talks, and stressed that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.

The reversal matters because the Strait of Hormuz is not just a narrow patch of water. It is a 21-mile-wide chokepoint that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil, and CENTCOM says the corridor carries about a quarter of global oil trade at sea, along with major volumes of fuel and fertilizer products. When traffic through the strait dropped after U.S. strikes on Iran in late February, global oil prices surged, underscoring how quickly a regional military standoff can ripple through energy markets.

Project Freedom was announced on Sunday and took effect Monday. Trump initially said the Navy would “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways,” and the administration said the mission had already helped two American-flagged vessels through the strait. U.S. Central Command said its support mission began May 4 with guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members assigned to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping. Military officials also said they contacted dozens of trapped shippers in the Persian Gulf, describing them as “neutral and innocent bystanders.”

The operation unfolded under fire. Iranian officials reacted furiously, warning that any ship entering the strait without permission would be targeted. On Monday, two U.S. Navy destroyers that crossed the Strait of Hormuz faced missiles, drones and boats, and the U.S. destroyed six Iranian small boats in response, according to defense officials. The U.S. military also cleared Iranian mines from a route farther from Iran’s coastline and began directing commercial ships to use it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters just hours before the pause that Project Freedom was the next phase of the war, a striking contrast to the White House’s new emphasis on diplomacy. For now, Trump is trying to keep both tracks alive: military pressure on Iran’s ports, and a suspended escort mission through one of the world’s most dangerous maritime chokepoints.