The BRICS TimesAfter just one day of escorting ships through the world’s most critical oil corridor, the United States has pressed pause on its military operation as Washington signals diplomatic progress with Tehran.
What Is Project Freedom And Why Did Trump Launch It?
The Strait of Hormuz a narrow, 21-mile-wide passage between Iran and Oman carries roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil every single day. Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February 2026, this waterway has turned into a war zone. Iran moved swiftly to choke off traffic deploying mines, drones, fast-attack boats, and missiles leaving an estimated 2,000 ships and 20,000 mariners stranded inside the Persian Gulf with nowhere to go.
To break that stranglehold, US President Donald Trump unveiled “Project Freedom” on Sunday a US Navy-led mission designed to escort commercial vessels safely through the strait. The operation kicked off on Monday morning, making it one of the most audacious moves in the months-long standoff between Washington and Tehran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described it plainly: “Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope, temporary in duration with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression.”
One Day In and Then It Stopped
Project Freedom barely lasted 48 hours before Trump pumped the brakes. On Tuesday evening, the US president posted on Truth Social, announcing that the mission was being put on hold.
“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.
The pause was all the more jarring because just hours before, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood at the White House podium calling Project Freedom the next phase of the war.
What Happened During Those 48 Hours?
The brief window of Project Freedom was anything but quiet. Two commercial vessels made it through the strait under US military escort one confirmed as the Maersk vehicle carrier Alliance Fairfax, the other believed to be the tanker CS Anthem.
But Iran hit back hard. A tanker linked to UAE energy giant ADNOC was struck by drones on May 3. A bulk carrier came under attack from Iranian fast boats the same day. The cargo ship HMM Namu a Panamanian-flagged vessel owned by South Korean company HMM suffered an explosion while anchored off the UAE coast on May 4. Trump publicly blamed Iran and pushed South Korea to “join the mission.” Then on May 5, another cargo ship was struck by an unknown projectile inside the strait. The CMA CGM San Antonio, a Maltese-flagged container ship, was reportedly hit by missiles injuring several Filipino crew members.
Two US Navy destroyers also transited the Strait of Hormuz the first such movement since the war began. They faced a barrage of Iranian missiles, drones, and fast boats but came away undamaged, thanks to defensive measures and air support. The US military says it destroyed six Iranian small boats during the exchanges.
Iran’s Response And Why It Called the Mission “Project Deadlock”
Tehran was furious. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wasted no time rebranding the US initiative, calling it “Project Deadlock” and warning that “there’s no military solution to a political crisis.” He wrote on X: “As talks are making progress with Pakistan’s gracious effort, the US should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers.”
Iran also issued a new map of the strait claiming an expanded zone of control and warned vessels through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to stick to corridors it had defined, or face a “decisive response.”
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Push for a Deal
The pause didn’t come from nowhere. Pakistan which has been quietly playing mediator between Washington and Tehran formally requested the halt, along with Saudi Arabia and several other nations. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted a statement on X praising Trump “for his courageous leadership and timely announcement,” calling the pause a step that “will go a long way towards advancing regional peace.”
Trump, for his part, suggested Iran hadn’t technically violated the ceasefire even as fighting flared. “They didn’t shoot the ships that were guarded by us,” he said during an Oval Office session on Tuesday. “The blockade has been amazing. It’s like a piece of steel.”
Oil Prices, Shipping Industry and the Bigger Picture
Markets reacted with cautious relief. Oil prices pulled back from recent highs but stayed above $100 a barrel a sign of how much tension the Strait of Hormuz standoff has injected into global energy markets. US average gas prices climbed to $4.48 per gallon.
The shipping industry, meanwhile, remained far from convinced. Shipowners and operators openly questioned whether Project Freedom even at full steam could ever truly restore normal traffic flows. Industry groups noted that unless both sides demonstrate consistent, sustained willingness to allow passage, vessels and crews remain at serious risk.
The US military cleared Iranian mines from one section of the strait farther from Iran’s coast and began directing ships to use that route. The US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains firmly in place, even as Project Freedom sits on ice.
Rubio also confirmed the US would push a new draft resolution at the UN Security Council, demanding Iran stop its attacks, remove mines, and end its practice of charging ships a toll to pass through.
What Comes Next?
The big question now can a final deal with Iran actually get done? Trump says great progress is happening behind the scenes. Iran says his claims of progress are fabricated. The shipping world is watching every development closely, knowing that the Strait of Hormuz holds the key to energy flows for much of the planet including China, which receives a third of its oil through this single waterway.
For now, the US blockade squeezes Iran from one side. Iran’s control over the strait squeezes the world from the other. Project Freedom tried to cut through that deadlock in 48 hours and is now on pause, waiting to see if diplomacy can finally do what firepower could not.
