U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters are supporting Project Freedom in and near the Strait of Hormuz. (Maxwell Higgins/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. mission to provide protection to commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz has been paused just a day after it began.
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries … we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday night.
The U.S. Navy provided cover for commercial ships as part of Project Freedom, the effort announced Sunday by Trump to protect vessels moving through the strait and restore freedom of navigation. The operation came as discussions to end the war with Iran remain underway.
Shipping companies and their insurers have been wary of transiting the waterway since the war started on Feb. 28. Even with intelligence on mines, Iranian forces still maintain the ability to attack vessels in other ways.
The Navy is blockading Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz as part of the war against Iran. At the same time, Iran is threatening to attack any vessel that attempts to navigate the strait without its permission.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday morning that Project Freedom is temporary, and the ceasefire in the war with Iran is not over.
“Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project, and we expected there would be some churn at the beginning,” Hegseth said during a news conference at the Pentagon. “We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have.”
More than 22,500 mariners on more than 1,500 commercial ships are waiting to transit the strait, said Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times, seized two container ships and attacked U.S. forces 10 times since the ceasefire was announced last month, Caine said. He said the attacks all fall “below the threshold” for greater hostilities.
The secretary said this mission is separate from Operation Epic Fury, the name for the U.S. campaign against Iran, but he did not answer follow‑up questions seeking clarity.
Iran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small attack boats at commercial ships and some U.S. Navy vessels, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a news briefing on Monday. Apache and Seahawk helicopters were used to sink six small Iranian boats on Monday morning, he said.
The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced Iranian missiles, drones and small fast-attack boats Monday in a coordinated attack, CBS News reported, citing unidentified U.S. officials.
Defensive measures underpinned by air support deterred each threat during the sustained attack, according to the CBS report.
Neither Truxton nor Mason was struck during the assault, contrary to Iranian state media reports that said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had hit an unidentified U.S. warship with two missiles.
Since the war began, 13 American personnel have died and at least 402 have been wounded, according to Defense Manpower Data Center figures.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio from the White House said Operation Epic Fury “is over.” The White House has argued it ended the operation in April, short of the deadline set under the War Powers Resolution, the law that aims to constrain a president’s military power.
“We’re done with that stage of it,” Rubio said during a press conference. “Okay, we’re now on to this project of freedom.”
The Pentagon’s top leaders spoke to reporters just days after a deadline passed that by law required the White House to seek Congress’s authorization to continue to carry out strikes in Iran after 60 days of operations. Hegseth said that the 60-day deadline did not apply because of the ceasefire.
“With the ceasefire, the clock stops,” Hegseth added.
Trump, who spoke at the White House after the Pentagon briefing, declined to say what Iranian actions would constitute a ceasefire violation.
“Well, you’ll find out because I’ll let you know,” the president said.
