U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 23, 2026. REUTERS\/Kylie Cooper<\/p>\n
Trump Abruptly Pauses \u2018Project Freedom\u2019 Hormuz Shipping Operation as Iran Talks Advance<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States is pausing its newly launched \u201cProject Freedom\u201d maritime operation in the Strait of Hormuz as negotiations with Iran move toward what he described as a potential \u201ccomplete and final agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a social media post, Trump said the decision followed requests from Pakistan and \u201cother Countries\u201d and cited both recent U.S. military operations against Iran and diplomatic progress with Iranian representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, 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,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n
The announcement marks a dramatic shift from statements from the Trump Administration just hours earlier touting Project Freedom as the first serious attempt to evacuate ships and restore limited commercial traffic through the waterway following more than two months of conflict-related disruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, 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\u2026\u201d \u2013 President\u2026<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/R9SlC4w68g<\/p>\n
\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse)<\/p>\n
During a press conference earlier Tuesday, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that U.S. Central Command and partner nations are working with shipowners, operators, and insurers to \u201clet them know it\u2019s safe to move out of the gulf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProject Freedom is designed to protect commercial shipping and help restore the flow of commerce through the strait and sustain freedom of navigation,\u201d added Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, who stated there currently more than 1,500 vessels and about 22,500 mariners still inside the Gulf.<\/p>\n
The operation had been framed by U.S. officials as a narrowly controlled defensive effort to guide stranded commercial vessels out of the Persian Gulf using an \u201cenhanced security corridor\u201d along Oman\u2019s territorial waters south of the Strait\u2019s traditional Traffic Separation Scheme. So far, only two confirmed transits have taken place under the initiative, both of which involved US-flagged ships.<\/p>\n
\u201cCENTCOM has established an enhanced security area on the southern side of the strait that is now protected by U.S. land, naval and air assets to help defeat further Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,\u201d Caine said.<\/p>\n
Fresh security incidents have continued to underscore the risks. Earlier Tuesday, UKMTO issued a new verified attack warning after a cargo vessel was reportedly struck by an \u201cunknown projectile\u201d in or near the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities provided no vessel details, but the advisory reinforced persistent concerns over missile, drone, and mine threats in the region.<\/p>\n
The administration has repeatedly insisted that the Strait is not formally \u201cclosed,\u201d but industry participants have increasingly argued that the combination of military operations, insurance withdrawals, war-risk premiums, and continuing attacks has made normal commercial navigation functionally impossible.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s latest statement appears to reinforce that assessment by acknowledging that Project Freedom itself is now being temporarily halted pending diplomatic progress.<\/p>\n
The comments also suggest that regional powers may be pressuring Washington to avoid further escalation around Hormuz amid fears of a broader economic shock.<\/p>\n
While Trump described progress toward an agreement with Iran, neither the White House nor Iranian officials immediately released details about the scope of any potential deal, the duration of the pause, or whether commercial shipping protections could resume if negotiations collapse.<\/p>\n