On May 4, US President Donald Trump announced a plan, dubbed Project Freedom, to escort ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. It effectively ended just two days later, with just two of the thousands of stranded ships guided through. The initiative, paused “for a short period”, was meant to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, which has not only been effectively closed by Iran but is also seeing an American blockade of Iranian ports. While Trump cited requests from Pakistan and other countries, as well as progress in ceasefire negotiations, an NBC report said the reversal was triggered by a backlash from Gulf allies such as Saudi Arabia, who were caught unaware about the plan. These dizzying shifts come as the US and Iran negotiate a lasting end to the war amid a fragile ceasefire in West Asia. One of the sticking points is the Strait of Hormuz blockade, which has choked a significant chunk of the world’s energy supply.…