3 min readUpdated: May 6, 2026 07:41 AM IST
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a brief pause in “Project Freedom,” an operation launched to help navigate ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing “great progress” toward a comprehensive agreement with Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
He added, “Based on the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous military success that we have had during the campaign against the country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran, we 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.”
Trump’s statement came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that “Operation Epic Fury”, launched on February 28, had concluded after achieving its objectives.
“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal… that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen,” Rubio said at a White House press conference on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue nearly 23,000 civilians from 87 countries who were trapped in the Persian Gulf.
“This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they’re attacking us or a ship, we need to respond,” Rubio said.
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There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, where it was early Wednesday morning.
Shortly after Trump’s post, US crude oil futures fell $2.30, slipping below $100 per barrel, a key threshold since the conflict pushed energy prices higher two months ago.
What is Project Freedom?
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday, and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the operation led to friction in the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also said it had destroyed several Iranian small boats.
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