In a sudden reversal, US President Donald Trump announced early Wednesday the temporary suspension of his recently launched “Project Freedom,” a naval initiative aimed at ensuring free shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The suspension, Trump said, would be short-lived and intended “to test the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran and signing it later,” while maintaining that the embargo on Tehran would remain in place.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed the decision came “at the request of Pakistan and other countries,” and credited what he called “tremendous military success” in the ongoing confrontation with Iran. He said “significant progress” was being made toward a “comprehensive and final agreement” with representatives from Tehran.
The US president unveiled Operation Freedom late Sunday night, with the mission officially commencing Monday afternoon. However, barely two days later, the initiative was halted.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi described the operation as a “stalemate,” suggesting that Washington’s efforts to assert control in the vital maritime corridor had faltered.
Meanwhile, sources cited by Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that two American commercial vessels, which US officials had earlier claimed had safely crossed the Strait, remained stranded in a rocky coastal zone near Oman. “The waters near the coast are rocky, and ships cannot leave or return from this area,” one source said, casting doubt on Washington’s assertions of success.
The abrupt suspension of Project Freedom underscores the fragility of US-Iran tensions in the Gulf and raises questions about the viability of Trump’s high-stakes strategy to project strength while seeking diplomacy.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar)