U.S. President Donald Trump with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
On Sunday, May 3, U.S. President Donald Trump announced "Operation Project Freedom" — a plan for the U.S. Navy to guide ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, a Middle Eastern waterway vital to the flow of oil. But only two days later, on Tuesday, May 5, Trump announced that Project Freedom was on hold.
In an article published by the UK-based i Paper on May 6, journalist James Ball emphasizes that Trump's sudden "U-turn" or "about face" with Operation Project Freedom "shows his growing desperation and just how few options he has right now in trying to end the unpopular war he started two months ago."
"For Trump, the clock is ticking," Ball explains. "The rising price of petrol and the cost-of-living crisis comes at an awful time, with November's U.S. midterm elections on the horizon. He is clearly desperate to declare victory — which he has tried to do on several occasions already, including by saying there has been regime change in Iran since the former supreme leader's son is now in charge — and move on. The latest about-face for Trump is embarrassing, but it will only become worse if the conflict with Iran drags on."
Ball continues, "At the moment, it is unclear if the White House has any exit strategy that is remotely feasible, or if it is just relying on wishful thinking and aggressive posturing on the part of the president."
Trump is claiming that he decided to pause Operation Project Freedom because his negotiations with Iran are going well and a "complete and final agreement" could be coming soon. But Ball argues that his claims don't hold up.
"He has claimed this several times before, without anything to show for it," Ball writes. "In fact, neither the U.S. nor Iran even bothered to turn up to the last round of negotiations, which were set to take place in Pakistan. Trump tried to argue that future negotiations would take place by 'telephone' to save on 15-hour flights."
Ball adds, "Across the world, experts have warned of economic catastrophe and major shortages if the Strait (of Hormuz) is closed even for a few weeks…. Iran's leaders will have taken note of his latest climbdown. Trump has taught them not to take his announcements seriously. With the life-and-death stakes at play, few things could be more dangerous than that."
