The Trump administration sent conflicting messages Tuesday over its short-lived naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz, with Defense Secretary Marco Rubio touting early successes while President Trump ordered a sudden pause to pursue a potential deal with Iran.
Project Freedom, launched on May 4, aimed to escort more than 1,500 stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
U.S. Navy ships moved in to challenge Iran’s blockade in the midst of ongoing tensions in the region. Within a few hours, however, President Trump directed the mission to stand down.
Defense Secretary Marco Rubio painted a different picture as he said American forces had already cleared key shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and helped dozens of tankers and cargo ships reach safety.
Speaking to the media on May 5, 2026, Rubio described the initial phase as highly effective and said Iranian forces had pulled back in several sectors.
He said the men and women in uniform performed exactly as trained, adding that the Strait of Hormuz saw measurable progress in freedom of navigation within a day.
The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz
Trump struck a sharply different tone hours later. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the operation was paused because negotiations with Iran had gained momentum. He pointed to Pakistan’s mediation and claimed that a “final agreement” could be near.
“Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran,” Trump wrote. “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.”
CBS News reports that the ambiguous signals left lawmakers, shipping companies, and allies confused. Several congressional Republicans privately expressed frustration that the administration and the military were reading from different scripts.
The mixed messaging and confusion are indicative of bigger cracks in the Trump team on Iran policy.
From the start of the war, hardliners had been demanding a show of strength in the Strait of Hormuz for weeks, to protect oil routes and deter Tehran.
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Several argued that pressure combined with direct talks offered a better path. President Trump himself has been switching from rooting for talks and issuing threats, including threats to strike Iran’s power plants and wipe out any civilization in Tehran.
The Pentagon said late Tuesday that the escort operation remained halted. U.S. warships are still in the region near the Strait of Hormuz, but they are no longer actively escorting commercial traffic through the contested waters.
Iran, on the other hand, continued to claim victory as Iranian state media said its forces still control access to the Strait of Hormuz and dismissed the U.S. operation as a failed stunt.
As of Wednesday morning, no new timeline has been set for resuming operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Pentagon officials said forces remain ready to act if needed, while White House aides insisted diplomacy is the priority.
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Markets have reacted quickly to signs of diplomatic progress. Oil prices plunged, and U.S. stocks rose sharply after reports that the United States and Iran are close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf while leaving tricky issues such as Iran’s nuclear program for later.
The positive market response shows growing hopes that a deal could soon restore stable shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and ease the global energy crunch caused by weeks of disruption in the critical waterway.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Iran said it is still reviewing a new US proposal.
