Trump Pauses Project Freedom Hours After Launch — Cites 'Great Progress' Toward 'Complete and Final Agreement' With Iran

President Trump announced a temporary pause of Project Freedom on May 5, 2026 — just hours after the Hormuz escort mission launched — citing 'great progress' toward a 'complete and final agreement' with Iran. The pause was interpreted as a diplomatic gesture to give US-Iran negotiations a broader window while signaling US willingness to de-escalate if talks advanced. The naval blockade of Iranian ports remained fully in effect despite the escort mission pause. Trump simultaneously threatened to bomb Iran 'off the face of the Earth' if it attacked US forces conducting the escort — an escalatory caveat that tempered the diplomatic signal. CENTCOM confirmed the pause was not a withdrawal of forces; US destroyers and aircraft remained in the theater at full readiness. The dual posture — threatening escalation while extending a diplomatic window — reflected the increasingly complex US messaging as negotiations approached what Pakistan's mediators described as a critical juncture. Al Jazeera described the day's sequence as 'strategic whiplash': Project Freedom launched, two ships transited, IRGC fast boats destroyed, Iranian warning shots fired — then Trump paused the mission and signaled a deal was near, all within 24 hours. The ceasefire nominally remained in effect.