Trump pauses Project Freedom in Strait of Hormuz to see if Iran deal can be struck

Politics Trump pauses U.S. mission to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz to see if Iran deal can be struck By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh Updated on: May 5, 2026 / 7:58 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump said Tuesday he has paused Project Freedom — a U.S. effort announced over the weekend to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — to see if the United States can strike a deal with Iran.   The president announced the about-face in a Truth Social post, writing that the project is on hold "for a short period of time" because the U.S. and Iran have made "Great Progress…toward a Complete and Final Agreement." He said he made the decision at the request of Pakistan, which has helped mediate negotiations between the United States and Iran.The U.S.'s blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place, Mr. Trump said.Project Freedom was unveiled by Mr. Trump late Sunday and took effect the following morning. He described it as a way to help commercial vessels navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, a 21-mile-wide chokepoint that normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil. Since the U.S. launched strikes on Iran in late February, Iran has sought control over the strait, and vessel traffic has plummeted, sending global oil prices soaring.Shortly after the operation began, the U.S. military helped two American-flagged vessels pass through the strait, U.S. Central Command said. The military said Monday it reached out to dozens of other shippers that are stuck in the Persian Gulf, describing them as "neutral and innocent bystanders" in the conflict.The U.S. military says it has also cleared Iranian mines from one part of the Strait of Hormuz that is further from Iran's coastline, and began directing commercial ships to use...