Trump says the US will pause a Hormuz escort operation for a short period while keeping port blockade pressure on Iran.
A US operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz has been paused after only a day, with President Donald Trump framing the move as part of a push for a deal with Iran.
Trump said on Tuesday that his “Project Freedom,” launched the previous day to help vessels navigate the narrow chokepoint toward the Gulf where Iran has increased control, would be halted temporarily. He said the pause followed a request involving Pakistan and other countries.
He added that “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Tehran, and described the pause as a way to determine whether an agreement could be finalized and signed.
In this context, the message is not a withdrawal from pressure but a shift in timing, with the administration continuing to signal leverage while testing whether diplomacy can move forward.
According to Trump, the blockade of Iran’s ports would remain in full force while “Project Freedom” is paused. The announcement comes amid rising scrutiny of the Hormuz operation, where Washington has alleged attacks on civilian vessels and said Iranian boats were sunk.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States had completed its offensive operations against Iran, which he described as “Operation Epic Fury,” and said that phase was over.. He also stressed that the Hormuz activity should be understood as defensive in nature, saying there would be no shooting unless the US is shot at first.
Rubio’s framing matters because it draws a line between earlier strikes tied to the broader conflict and the escort effort in the Strait of Hormuz, even as tensions continue across the region.
The dispute over Hormuz sits alongside a wider conflict that began after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.. While those strikes killed top Iranian figures and targeted military and economic sites, Iran has continued responding with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Trump previously declared a ceasefire with Iran in April and later extended it, despite negotiations being described as stalled. In the current remarks, he and Rubio both indicated Washington still preferred a negotiated outcome even as the administration maintains its broader pressure posture.
At the end of the day, pauses like this can be read as tactical bargaining moves, aiming to create room for talks without abandoning the pressure that has been used to seek an end to the war.