Ship in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026.
Amirhossein Khorgoy | Isna | Wana | via Reuters
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would suspend Project Freedom, the U.S. military’s effort to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the operation began.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said the decision was based in part on “the fact that we have made significant progress toward a full and final agreement” with Iran.
President Trump wrote that Project Freedom “will be suspended for a short period of time to determine whether the agreement can be finalized and signed.”
Stock futures rose after President Trump’s announcement, raising hopes for a peace deal that would end the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and reopen the economically vital strait.
It also marked a stunning reversal from the Trump administration, which just hours earlier had characterized Project Freedom as a matter of life and death for thousands of civilian sailors.
The Trump administration announced that approximately 23,000 sailors on ships representing 87 countries are stranded in the Persian Gulf due to Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday afternoon at the White House that the purpose of Project Freedom is to “rescue” sailors who have been “left for dead” by the Iranian regime.
“Countries around the world, the overwhelming majority of which are not even participating in military hostilities, are now not only losing cargo but also endangering the lives of their own citizens because of this blockade,” Rubio said.
He said the Iranian blockade “has left them sitting ducks. They are isolated, hungry and vulnerable, and at least 10 sailors have already died as a result.”
President Trump announced Project Freedom on Sunday night, saying he assured countries whose ships are stranded in wars that the United States would “move them safely out of these restricted waterways.”
U.S. Central Command announced Sunday night that the military would deploy “guided missile destroyers, more than 100 Army, Navy, and Air Force aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 military personnel” to support the operation.
Defense and geopolitical experts told CNBC earlier Tuesday that they were skeptical Project Freedom would achieve its goals.
Meanwhile, Iran was reacting to U.S. military action with renewed hostility, further straining its already fragile ceasefire with the United States.
The United Arab Emirates said on Monday that three people were injured in ballistic missile, cruise missile and drone attacks from Iran.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters on the same day that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “fired multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at the vessels we are protecting.”
On Monday, a South Korean-operated ship also caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump later said Iran carried out the attack.
President Trump’s post announcing Project Freedom 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 State of Iran, and that these discussions can lead to something very positive for everyone,” he wrote. “The Ship movement is only about liberating people, companies and countries who have done absolutely nothing wrong. They are victims of circumstance.”
