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US president says ‘Project Freedom’ paused to see whether an agreement with Iran can be finalised and signed.
Published On 5 May 2026
United States President Donald Trump has said that the US military operation to move stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz has been paused temporarily.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
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He said the decision was made “based on the request” of Pakistan and other countries and 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,” he wrote.
There was no immediate comment from Iran.
Trump’s announcement came as tensions escalated in the Gulf, with the US military saying it had destroyed several Iranian boas as well as cruise missiles and drones.
Several commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz were also hit while the United Arab Emirates said its air defences dealt with missile and drone attacks from Iran for a second day.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meanwhile told reporters in Washington DC that Iran must pay a price for its efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Straits of Hormuz do not belong to Iran. They don’t have a right to shut it down and blow up ships and lay mines,” he said.
“It cannot be normalised. Under no circumstances can we live in a world where we accept, okay, this is normal. You have to coordinate with Iran. You have to pay them a toll in order to go through the Straits of Hormuz. Not only is that unacceptable in the Straits, you’re creating a precedent that could be repeated in multiple other places around the world.”
More soon…
