In a stunning political reversal that has sent ripples across global energy and diplomatic circles, US President Donald Trump has announced a pause to his highly publicized ‘Project Freedom’ — a mission designed to escort stranded commercial ships through the blocked Strait of Hormuz — just 48 hours after formally launching the operation. The abrupt shift in policy comes amid a fragile backdrop of escalating regional conflict sparked by the US-Israel war with Iran, which has seen Tehran effectively close off one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. The strait, which carries roughly 20% of global oil and gas supplies, has been the center of growing tensions after Iran issued threats to transiting vessels, sending global crude prices soaring and stoking widespread fears of a catastrophic hit to the already fragile global economy.
The chain of events unfolded rapidly over 48 hours, starting when Trump first announced the operation on his Truth Social platform at 21:35 BST on Sunday. In his initial post, the president framed the mission as a humanitarian gesture, writing: “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.” He added that he had instructed US representatives to work to ensure the safety of all ships and crews trapped in the region, where the Baltic and International Maritime Council estimates roughly 1,000 vessels carrying 20,000 seafarers remain stranded. Trump announced the operation would kick off “Monday morning Middle East time,” noting that ongoing diplomatic talks with Iran were progressing positively and could lead to a breakthrough agreement for all parties.
Shortly after midnight UK time on Monday, US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the operation was underway, releasing details of the massive military deployment assembled for the mission: guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, and 15,000 active-duty service members. UK maritime security agency UKMTO also confirmed that US officials were advising commercial vessels to transit through a secured corridor off the coast of Oman. By later that day, Centcom announced the first milestone of the mission: two US-flagged merchant ships had successfully completed transit through the strait and were continuing on their routes.
Tensions flared quickly, however, as competing claims emerged over a reported strike on Iranian boats. Trump claimed that US forces had destroyed seven Iranian fast boats in the strait during the operation’s first day, but Iranian state media outlet Tasnim disputed the account. The outlet instead reported that US strikes had hit two small civilian cargo vessels, killing five civilian seafarers. The same day brought a wave of additional attacks across the region: an Adnoc-affiliated oil tanker owned by the United Arab Emirates was hit in the strait, a South Korean-flagged vessel anchored off the UAE coast suffered an explosion, and a fire broke out at the key Fujairah oil port following what the UAE called an Iranian strike — a claim Iran quickly denied.
On Tuesday, top US defense officials doubled down on their commitment to the mission during a press briefing at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that “hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit,” and emphasized that “Project Freedom is under way, commerce will be flowing, and America is once again leading with strength, clarity and purpose for the benefit of the entire world. Our will is unshakable.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine added that the military expected more vessels to complete transits in the coming days, though neither official provided a clear timeline for how long the operation would continue. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the administration’s confident tone at a separate White House briefing, framing the operation as a global public good, saying the US was acting as a “favour to the world” because it remained “the only country that can project power in that part of the world the way we’re doing now.”
Just hours after these bold public statements, Trump upended the entire mission. At 18:52 Washington time, he posted another announcement on Truth Social: the entire operation would be paused “for a short period of time.” The president framed the pause as a mutual agreement reached with Iran, citing “great progress” in ongoing diplomatic talks aimed at finalizing a new deal. He wrote: “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.”
The sudden reversal came just hours after another attack: a French-owned CMA CGM container ship was hit in the strait, leaving multiple crew members injured and the vessel heavily damaged. Even before the pause, the global shipping industry had expressed deep skepticism of the mission. Shipping industry publication Lloyd’s List reported that ship owners and marine insurers said Project Freedom had failed to provide “sufficient clarity or credible protection to justify resuming transits” through the strait. As of the announcement, transit volumes through the strategic waterway continue to fall as security concerns escalate across the region.