Trump Pauses US Naval Escorts in Strait of Hormuz to Aid Iran Talks

A fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran holds despite continued attacks. President Donald Trump announced a pause in naval escort operations to allow negotiations to continue. He warned that failure to reach a deal would result in a significantly escalated bombing campaign.

Trump said the pause in Project Freedom, the U.S. mission to guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, aims to give negotiators time to finalize a potential complete and final agreement with Iran. The U.S. naval blockade will remain in place.

In a social media post Wednesday morning, Trump suggested the conflict could end soon if Iran agrees to the terms under discussion. He warned that if it does not, U.S. forces would resume bombing at a significantly higher level and intensity.

"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump wrote Wednesday morning. "If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."

"We prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft, and this mission without hesitation," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday.

Iran has continued attacks on commercial vessels and U.S. forces even as negotiations advance. Officials say these remain below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.

Since the ceasefire began April 7, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and attacked U.S. forces more than ten times, all below the threshold, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

"No, the ceasefire is not over. Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project," Hegseth told reporters Tuesday. "We’re not looking for a fight."

Administration officials have not defined what level of escalation would violate the ceasefire, even as attacks continue across the region.

Asked what level of firing would violate the ceasefire, Trump told reporters Tuesday: "You’ll find out."

"They know what to do, and they know what not to do," Trump went on. "They fired from little boats with peashooters. You know why? Because they don't have any boats anymore. Their Navy is comprised of, they call them little boats, right? Boats and they're fast. Yeah. They're so fast that, that they had eight of them and they're all gone, and they're fast, but they're not fast like a missile. A missile is slightly faster."

U.S. forces have engaged Iranian assets directly. In recent days, American helicopters sank at least six Iranian fast-attack boats targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

The latest exchanges differ from the early days of the war, when U.S. forces struck targets across Iran, from bridges and infrastructure near Tehran to a massive bombardment of Kharg Island.

The ceasefire was expected to include a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane, but that has not happened. Iran continues to restrict access to the waterway, effectively maintaining a blockade.

The U.S. launched Project Freedom to direct stranded vessels through the strait and has imposed restrictions on Iranian shipping, intercepting vessels and warning that ships entering or leaving Iranian ports could be turned back.

Iran accuses the U.S. of violating the ceasefire and says any American interference in the strait breaches the agreement.

Violence has extended beyond shipping lanes. The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran on Monday, resulting in injuries. Emirati officials say hundreds of missiles and drones have been intercepted since the conflict began, with civilian casualties reported.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Shipping companies remain hesitant to resume normal transit as attacks continue and insurance risks rise. Even with U.S. escorts, industry analysts say the current security environment is unlikely to restore regular traffic soon.

Two U.S.-escorted commercial ships have successfully transited under Project Freedom so far.

The ceasefire started as a two-week deal to allow time for a permanent end to the war. Negotiations have dragged on to almost one month. Trump said Sunday he finds Iran’s latest proposal unsatisfactory.

"They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it," he said. "They have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, over the last 47 years," he wrote on Truth Social Sunday.