Trump says US to pause guiding ships through Strait of Hormuz while seeking Iran deal

Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg News on May 5, 2026

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he would pause a U.S.-led effort to help stranded ships exit the Strait of Hormuz to see if an agreement with Iran to end the war could be finalized.

“Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump said in a social media post Tuesday.

Trump cited “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran,” for his decision and said it was taken at the request of Pakistan — which is helping mediate talks between Washington and Tehran — as well as other countries. But he added that a U.S. blockade of ships transiting to and from Iranian ports would “remain in full force and effect.”

The U.S. president had cast Project Freedom as a humanitarian gesture to ease the flow of energy and other supplies through the strait, which has been largely closed since the start of the war in late February. Yet the effort has been plagued by confusion and failed to address the safety concerns of shippers.

The operation spurred fresh violence Monday, posing one of the biggest challenges to an already tentative ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The American military fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats as it facilitated the passage of two U.S.-flagged vessels through the strait. The United Arab Emirates also said it had intercepted Iranian cruise missiles.

The situation in the strait has been the focal point of efforts to deescalate the conflict. Iran has been blocking international traffic, constricting oil and gas flows and leading to turmoil in energy markets.

The U.S. in turn has been blockading Iranian ports. Trump ordered the blockade more than three weeks ago, in a bid to throttle Iran’s crude exports and intensify economic pressure on Tehran, building leverage for talks on a potential nuclear deal.

The U.S. has said the shutdown around Hormuz has left more than 1,550 commercial vessels, carrying some 22,000 sailors, trapped in the Persian Gulf.

Trump has said the standoff is damaging Iran’s economy and forcing the Islamic Republic to make concessions, but the situation has spurred uncertainty in financial and energy markets with fears that there is no end in sight to a 9-week-old conflict.

The president and top administration officials have described challenges with talks, in part because of divisions within Iran.

Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said sometimes after an offer is made “it takes five or six days to get a response,” since it has to wind its way through a system and be put in front of the supreme leader.

“Their system has always been multilayered in this way. It’s obviously become more complex because of the damage they suffered during the war,” he said.

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(With assistance from John Harney.)

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