Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026.
Amirhosein Khorgooi | ISNA | WANA | Via Reuters
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is pausing “Project Freedom,” the U.S. military’s effort to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, one day after the operation began.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, said the decision was based in part on “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Iran.
Project Freedom “will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote.
Stock futures rose following Trump’s announcement, which raised hopes for a peace agreement that would end the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and reopen the economically vital strait.
It also represented a surprising about-face from the Trump administration, which just hours earlier had framed Project Freedom as a matter of life or death for thousands of civilian sailors.
The Trump administration has said that nearly 23,000 sailors on vessels representing 87 countries have been stranded in the Persian Gulf because of Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the White House Tuesday afternoon that the goal of Project Freedom is to “rescue” those sailors, who have been “left for dead” by the Iranian regime.
“Nations from around the world, the overwhelming majority of whom are not even engaged in any military hostilities, are now at risk, not just of losing their cargo, but the lives of their own citizens because of this blockade,” Rubio said.
“They’re sitting ducks. They’re isolated, they’re starving, they’re vulnerable, and at least 10 sailors have already died as a result” of Iran’s blockade, he said.
Trump announced Project Freedom on Sunday evening, saying the U.S. has assured countries whose vessels are stuck due to the war that it will “guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways.”
U.S. Central Command said Sunday evening that the military would deploy “guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members” to support the operation.
Defense and geopolitical experts told CNBC earlier Tuesday they were skeptical that Project Freedom would achieve its goals.
Iran, meanwhile, had responded to the U.S. military moves with renewed hostility, putting further strain on an already shaky ceasefire with the U.S.
The United Arab Emirates said Monday it was attacked with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones coming from Iran, resulting in three injuries.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters the same day that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships that we are protecting.”
A South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz also caught fire on Monday. Trump later said that Iran had attacked it.
Trump’s post announcing Project Freedom seemed to anticipate that the move could undermine diplomatic efforts with Tehran.
“I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” he wrote. “The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance.”
