U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that ‘Project Freedom’, the initiative to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, will be paused “for a short period of time” to see whether an agreement with Iran can be finalised and signed.

Since the start of hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran in late February, Tehran has effectively halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz through threats and attacks, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, “While the (U.S.) blockade will remain in full force and effect, 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 finalised and signed.”

Mr Trump said the decision was made “based on the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous military success that we have had during the campaign against the country of Iran, and, additionally, the fact that great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran”.

Talks between Iran and the United States on turning the current truce into a permanent agreement have stalled amid big differences over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Before the conflict, roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil and liquefied gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. launched the initiative on Monday to help stranded ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the U.S., Iran responded with several attacks, including on U.S. forces attempting to restore commercial shipping in the strait.

Mr Trump’s announcement comes as a surprise. Earlier on Tuesday, both U.S. secretary of defence Pete Hegseth and secretary of state Marco Rubio had been promoting the new U.S. initiative to journalists.

Mr Rubio said that the U.S. military operation against Iran, which the Trump administration labelled ‘Epic Fury’, had ended and that Washington was now moving on to Project Freedom.

“The operation is over. Epic Fury, as the president notified Congress, we’re done with that stage of it,” Mr Rubio told reporters at a White House press conference, adding that the U.S. had achieved the objectives of the operation.

Mr Trump declared the hostilities against Iran over in a letter to Congress on Friday. On that day, the 60-day window under the War Powers Resolution – during which a U.S. president can conduct military operations without congressional approval – expired.

The letter said there had been no fighting between the two countries since a ceasefire began on April 7.

“The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” it said.

A fragile ceasefire is currently in place between the U.S. and Iran, which Israel is also observing.

Recently, tensions between Washington and Tehran have increased, leading to fears of a further escalation in the war.

Mr Trump once again threatened the Islamic Republic with annihilation after Iran attacked oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates on Monday in response to the U.S. initiative to reopen the strait.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned the U.S. against continuing its initiative.

Tehran insisted on its demand to control traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran wants ships to pay a toll in the future for passing through the Strait between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

On Tuesday, Iranian state media reported that Tehran was planning to tighten control over the Strait of Hormuz through a new approval system for vessels transiting the waterway.

Ship operators intending to pass through the strait will receive an email outlining the rules and regulations for transit and must obtain permission from the Iranian authority, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, state broadcaster Press TV reported.

It was not immediately clear what the rules would entail or how Iran would respond to violations.

Press TV said the mechanism was already in operation.

(dpa/NAN)