WASHINGTON — President Trump on Tuesday evening abruptly suspended "Project Freedom," the U.S. military's newly launched operation to escort commercial vessels through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, just one day after announcing it with great fanfare — citing what he described as significant momentum in diplomatic talks that could bring the war with Iran to a close.
The announcement landed on Truth Social with the same breathless confidence that has characterized Trump's statements throughout the conflict. "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 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.
A Mission Launched — and Suspended — in Under 48 Hours
The speed of the reversal was jarring even by the standards of a conflict that has been defined by rapid pivots. Trump had announced Project Freedom on Sunday evening, saying the U.S. had assured countries whose vessels are stuck due to the war that it would "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.
Trump, in announcing Project Freedom, had 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.
Within hours, the operation was under fire — literally. The U.S. military said it destroyed several Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as cruise missiles and drones. The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses dealt with missile and drone attacks from Iran for a second day, while another commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz reported being hit by an "unknown projectile." A South Korean-operated vessel also caught fire on Monday. Trump later said that Iran had attacked it.
Rubio: 'Operation Epic Fury Is Over'
The pause on Project Freedom came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a significant declaration of his own at a Washington news conference. Rubio said that Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military's name for the war with Iran, is over and that the current military actions to help ships safely navigate the strait are not an "offensive operation." "The operation is over. Epic Fury is — the president notified Congress we're done with that stage of it. OK? We're now on to this project of freedom," Rubio said.
He added: "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." Rubio also called Iran's attacks on ships and mining of the strait "criminal," saying the actions were "completely illegal, completely illegitimate and completely unacceptable."
Iran Reads the Pause as a Retreat
Tehran wasted no time framing Trump's announcement on its own terms. Iran's state news agency INSA said Trump called off the operation "following firm positions and warnings from Iran." State-run Tasnim also hailed the move in a post on its Farsi-language account on X, describing it as: "Trump Backs Down."
Iran's parliamentary speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that while the situation in the strait was clearly "unbearable" for America, Iran has "not even begun yet." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said events in the strait make it clear that there is "no military solution to a political crisis." He added, "Project Freedom is Project Deadlock."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the U.S. is pursuing "a policy of maximum pressure" and "expects Iran to submit to their unilateral demands," which he described as "impossible" for Tehran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a new map of the strait with an expanded area of Iranian control, warning vessels to stick to the corridors it has set or face a "decisive response."
A Diplomatic Opening — Fragile but Real
Despite the charged rhetoric from both sides, analysts saw reason for cautious optimism in the pause. CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, reporting from Islamabad, said the pause of "kinetic activity" around the Strait of Hormuz could help bring moderate voices in the Iranian regime back to the negotiating table.
When exchanges of fire between U.S. and Iranian forces in the strait on Monday did not reignite the war, it signaled that neither side wanted full-scale fighting to resume. Pakistan, which has been mediating peace talks between Washington and Tehran, was cited by Trump in his Truth Social post as among the countries requesting the pause — an acknowledgment of Islamabad's diplomatic role that carries weight in the region.
Iran's foreign minister was also in Beijing for talks "on regional and international developments" with his Chinese counterpart — the first face-to-face meeting between the two allies' top diplomats since the war began. The timing was notable, coming as Trump is expected to travel to China in the coming week for the most consequential diplomatic visit of his second term.
The Broader Stakes: Recession Fears and a Strait That Remains Shut
The maritime chokepoint, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies normally pass, has been effectively sealed by Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on February 28. Following a ceasefire in April, the U.S. imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports in a bid to compel Tehran to agree to Washington's terms in peace talks, including reopening the key waterway and halting all nuclear enrichment.
Demand for oil is falling at the fastest rate seen outside the Covid pandemic, as businesses and consumers cut consumption. Global oil stockpiles have also seen their sharpest decline since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump had sought to project confidence, telling reporters the U.S.'s military and economic campaign was forcing Tehran to the negotiating table. He did not rule out resuming a bombing campaign if necessary, justified spiking oil prices as a "small price to pay" to eliminate Iran's nuclear ambitions, and asserted that "nobody" would challenge the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. He also expressed hope that Tehran's financial system would ultimately fail.
Whether the pause on Project Freedom represents the opening of a genuine path to peace — or simply the latest turn in a conflict that has defied prediction at every stage — will depend on what transpires in the days ahead. Both sides, for the moment, appear to be stepping back from the edge. Whether they stay there is another question entirely.
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