Updated on: May 5, 2026 / 8:06 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google 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. The president announced the about-face in a Truth Social post , writing that the project is on hold "for a short period of time" because the U.S. and Iran have made "Great Progress…toward a Complete and Final Agreement." He said he made the decision at the request of Pakistan, which has helped mediate negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. The United States' blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place, Mr. Trump said. Project Freedom was unveiled by Mr. Trump late Sunday and took effect the following morning. He described it as a way to help commercial vessels navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, a 21-mile-wide chokepoint that normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil.…