Trump pauses Project Freedom in Strait of Hormuz — Hormuz Strait News
Hormuz Strait News: President Donald Trump ordered a temporary pause in "Project Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States sent Iran its latest draft of a peace proposal. The move came after less than 24 hours of the operation and after Trump cited progress on a peace deal.
U.S. Central Command said American forces intercepted multiple Iranian cruise missiles and drones targeting commercial ships earlier this week. U.S. Central Command also reported zero damage to U.S.-flagged vessels, while a U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect.
Trump pauses Project Freedom
Trump’s order is the latest sign that Washington is keeping pressure in the Strait of Hormuz while talks with Iran stay active. The pause slows an operation that had been running for less than 24 hours, but it does not change the blockade on Iranian ports.
That combination leaves shipping in a narrow operating lane. Commercial vessels still face missile and drone threats, yet the U.S. response now sits alongside a new peace proposal sent to Iran rather than a wider escalation.
Central Command reports interceptions
Earlier this week, U.S. Central Command said American forces successfully intercepted multiple Iranian cruise missiles and drones aimed at commercial ships. The command said those interceptions prevented damage to U.S.-flagged vessels.
On Thursday, U.S. strikes hit Iran’s Qeshm Port in the Strait of Hormuz and Bandar Abbas, and the U.S. military also struck Iran’s Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab. Officials said those strikes did not signal a restart of the war or the end of the ceasefire.
Iran reports blasts and air defense activity
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported air defense activity in western Tehran, and two other loud explosions were heard Thursday night. Eyewitnesses told Iran International they heard multiple blasts in Chitgar.
Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency reported attacks and exchanges of fire across Iran’s southern Hormozgan province near Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir, Sirik and Qeshm Island. Two days earlier, Iran fired 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah Port, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine said on May 5 that those attacks did not rise to the threshold of a ceasefire violation.
For shipping operators, the immediate change is narrower than a full stand-down and sharper than a routine patrol cycle: Project Freedom is paused, the blockade on Iranian ports remains, and U.S. forces are still intercepting missiles and drones aimed at commercial ships. The next confirmed step is the continued handling of the peace proposal now in Iran’s hands while the Strait of Hormuz remains under active military watch.
