Trump says Project Freedom ‘paused’

US President Donald Trump said that “Project Freedom” would be put on hold while the US attempts to finalize a deal with Iran.

“Project Freedom” is a US effort to free stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Project Freedom (the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see if an agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump said in a post on his Truth social platform.

Trump also said that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports will remain effective.

Gasoline prices in the United States have risen 50% since the US and Israel’s war with Iran in February, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which said the price of a gallon of regular gasoline averaged $4.48 (€3.83) on Tuesday.

The price of crude oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, is rising because the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude usually passes, has effectively been closed, stranding oil tankers.

“After the initial ceasefire was announced, there was optimism that this could be the beginning of the end of the conflict,” Rob Smith, director of global fuel retail at S&P Global Energy, told The Associated Press.

“But no matter what any government says or what any market person thinks, upward pressure is being put on prices every day in the Strait of Hormuz. And it is still severely constrained.”

The Iranian military on Tuesday “categorically denied” carrying out any attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, dismissing claims to the contrary as “completely baseless”.

The UAE said earlier on Tuesday that its air defense systems were countering missiles and drones “coming from Iran” for the second consecutive day, weeks after a fragile ceasefire.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not launched any missile or drone operations against the UAE in the past days,” the Central Command of the Iranian military said in a statement.

“Had such an action been taken, we would have announced it strongly and clearly,” it said, warning that any attack against Iran launched from Emirati territory would be met with a “strong response.”

Iran has targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war, causing damage not only to US assets but also energy and civilian infrastructure in the country.

In its statement on Tuesday, the Iranian military issued a warning to the UAE, saying: “Your country, as an Islamic country, should not become a haven for the Americans and the Zionists, their armies and military equipment,” in a reference to the United States and Israel.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the aggressive campaign against iran Have finished.

“Operation is over – Epic Fury – as the President informed Congress, we have completed that phase of it,” he told reporters at the White House. United States of America Now it was only taking defensive action in enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports.

“We will respond only if attacked first. This is a defensive operation,” he said. “If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we are not firing, but if we are fired upon we will respond.”

Rubio also confirmed that ten civilian sailors have died during the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They are isolated, they are starving, they are unsafe and as a result at least 10 sailors, civilian sailors, have died,” he said, without giving additional details.

Hello and welcome to DW’s coverage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that offensive operations against Iranian ports have ended and that US forces will take purely defensive action to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, the Iranian military has denied launching attacks on the UAE this week.

And in the United States, the American Automobile Association reports that gasoline prices have increased 50% since the beginning of the war.

Stay tuned to our blog for more updates throughout the day.