US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening that the US mission to guide stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz will be paused “for a short period of time,” citing progress toward a deal with Iran.
Trump said the military‑backed campaign, Project Freedom, had been halted “by mutual agreement” after days of operations, BBC reports.
He described the pause as a response to a request from Pakistan, which has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. The US blockade of Iranian ports, however, will remain in force.
Iranian state media hailed the move as a victory, claiming Trump had “retreated” after repeated failures to reopen the strategic waterway.
The announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the initial US‑Israeli offensive in Iran — Operation Epic Fury — had ended, saying it had achieved its objectives.
The pause appeared to undercut a day’s worth of messaging from Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, who had vowed Project Freedom would secure freedom of navigation and commerce in the Gulf.
“We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal,” Rubio told reporters earlier Tuesday.
Uncertainty now surrounds the next phase. Project Freedom was billed as distinct from the blockade, aimed at restoring oil flows and easing global economic disruption by escorting trapped ships through the largely closed strait.
But if shipping firms and insurers face renewed Iranian interference during the pause, the administration may struggle to claim success. Officials may also hope the freeze, strongly opposed by Tehran, nudges Iran back to the negotiating table.
The announcement followed fresh tensions. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported late Tuesday that a cargo vessel had been struck by an “unknown projectile” in the strait.
Earlier, the UAE said its air defences were engaging Iranian missiles and drones for a second day, accusing Tehran of targeting Fujairah’s oil port outside Hormuz in what it called a “dangerous escalation.”
Iran denied involvement, with a military spokesman insisting any such action “would have been announced firmly and clearly.”
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, who led last month’s talks with the US, said America could not tolerate the current deadlock. “Shipping security and energy transit have been jeopardised by the US and its allies with the ceasefire violations and blockade. However, their evil acts will fail,” he declared.
Operation Epic Fury began on 288 February with US‑Israeli air strikes across Iran. Tehran responded by blocking the strait, through which about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments normally pass.
