U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday evening he was pausing the U.S. effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the Iran war, but that the American forces’ blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.

President Trump said Tuesday he has paused Project Freedom — a U.S. effort announced over the weekend to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — to see if the United States can strike a deal with Iran.

President Donald Trump says that he is pausing the U.S. effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to finalize an Iran deal, but that the American

Iran claims drone and missile strikes on UAE's Fujairah zone, injuring Indian nationals and escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iran war risks reigniting after the U.S. tried to force open the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, firing on Iranian forces and sinking six small boats targeting ships

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the U.S.-Iran ceasefire "certainly holds" for now. He called Project Freedom, an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — which drew Iranian attacks on Monday — a totally separate and "temporary" operation.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said two commercial ships and two destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz, testing a fragile ceasefire with Iran.

The US said offensive operations against Iran are over as it shifts to protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but the targeting of another cargo vessel after a day of strikes signaled that the conflict is dragging on.