DONALD TRUMP HAS said the United States is pausing its military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after less than 48 hours.

‘Project Freedom’, to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Strait, began on Monday. So far, two US-flagged merchant vessels travelled out of the Gulf under the operation. 

But writing on Truth Social, Trump said he was now pausing it after a request by Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator between the US and Iran, because “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Tehran. 

“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,” the US president said. 

Washington is maintaining a blockade of Iran’s ports in a bid to pressure the country to make a deal to end the war that the US and Israel launched on 28 February.

Tensions had been soaring over the Hormuz operation, with the US saying it had sunk seven Iranian boats, and several civilian vessels coming under attack, allegedly from Iran.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio said yesterday that the US has completed its offensive operations against Iran, which it dubbed “Operation Epic Fury”.

Rubio’s comments echoed statements to Congress nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire.

“The operation is over – Epic Fury – as the president notified Congress. We’re done with that stage of it,” Rubio told reporters at the White House.

The clashes in the Strait of Hormuz were not part of the original war, he said.

“This is not an offensive operation; this is a defensive operation,” Rubio said. “And what that means is very simple – there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

A patrol boat moves through the water as cargo ships sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Israel and the US attacked Iran on 28 February, killing top leaders and destroying major military and economic sites but not forcing the collapse of the Islamic republic, which has responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.

Trump on 8 April declared a ceasefire with Iran that he has since extended even though negotiations with Tehran have been at a standstill.

Rubio claimed the US has “achieved the objectives” of the war.

“These guys are facing, they are facing real, catastrophic destruction to their economy,” he said, while adding that Trump still preferred a negotiated deal with Iran.

Yesterday, Trump urged Iran to “do the smart thing” and make a deal to end the war. 

“We don’t want to go in and kill people. Really don’t. I don’t want to, it’s too rough,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

He declined to say what Iran would have to do to formally violate the nearly month-long truce. In recent days, Iran has fired missiles and drones at US forces and the United Arab Emirates.

“You’ll find out,” he said. “They know what to do. They know what not to do, more importantly, actually.”

He also accused Iran of “playing games” with a deal to end the war, an agreement which Trump says must ensure that Tehran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

“What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television, they’ll say, ‘We did not speak to the President’,” Trump said.

“So they play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal, and who wouldn’t? When your military is totally gone, we could do anything we want to them.”

With reporting from © AFP 2026