Donald Trump's ability to change his mind, backtrack, announce one thing and then its opposite, issue a powerful ultimatum and then retract, all while exposing and ridiculing his team and negotiators, seems endless. On Tuesday night, he once again demonstrated this by unexpectedly announcing a pause in the Freedom Project, his latest idea to escort ships and tankers in the Strait of Ormuz, just a day after its introduction and with only three vessels having managed to escape the Revolutionary Guard's siege. He did so in a particularly humiliating way for some of his most important ministers, whom he had put in front of the cameras throughout the day to enthusiastically defend the naval operation and state that negotiations were far from a "final agreement."
Trump is desperately seeking a way out of the hornet's nest he himself got into but can't seem to find one. After announcing a ceasefire and extending it several times, now almost indefinitely, on Sunday he came up with the Freedom Project to escort ships without allies. On Monday, Iran responded by launching attacks on Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones, and the United States did nothing. Trump seems closer than ever to formally declaring victory and withdrawing his military deployment, or at least that's what the messages he repeats and makes his team repeat suggest, claiming that the objectives have been achieved, that the Iranian navy and army have been destroyed, and that in practice, there has been a regime change, with the death of Ayatollah Jamenei, over 50 high-ranking officials, and the serious injuries suffered by his son and successor. "The operation has concluded, the objectives have been achieved," Rubio said on the same Tuesday, explaining why they don't need Congress's permission to continue. "We are now focused on the Freedom Project," he added before realizing that was no longer the plan.
"At the request of Pakistan and other countries, and given the tremendous military success we have achieved during the campaign against Iran, and considering the significant progress made towards a complete and final agreement with Iran's representatives, we have mutually agreed that, while the blockade will remain in full force, the Freedom Project (the transit of ships through the Strait of Ormuz) will be temporarily suspended to determine if the agreement can be finalized and signed," the president wrote on his social media, a few days before starting his official visit to China to meet with Xi Jinping.
What makes it particularly glaring is that in the morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the top military official, General Dan Caine, appeared at the Pentagon to defend the Freedom Project, stating that it was already a success and had "cleared the routes," with some ships being able to transit through Ormuz, despite the more than 10 attacks suffered by US troops, something that Hegseth and the general downplayed. "Iran has fired at commercial ships nine times and captured two container ships, in addition to attacking our forces more than ten times, all below the threshold to resume major combat operations," the general said. "No, the ceasefire has not ended. Ultimately, the Freedom Project is a separate and distinct project from Operation Epic Fury. We expected there to be some instability at the beginning, and that happened. We said we would defend the area firmly, and we have done so," said the former TV presenter turned Defense official.
Even worse was Marco Rubio's role. For months, the internet has been flooded with memes parodying Rubio, Trump's go-to guy. Every time someone loses their job or something remarkable happens, there are endless photo montages of the Secretary of State ready to take on new roles. One of them included the possibility of him becoming the new White House spokesperson after the incumbent, Karoline Leavitt, went on maternity leave. The meme became a reality on Tuesday when at 3:00 p.m. local time, Rubio stepped out into the White House press room to staunchly defend the Freedom Project and the president's alleged commitment.
"That is the goal of this diplomacy: to reach some level of understanding on what topics they have agreed to negotiate. We don't have to have the actual agreement written in a day. This is highly complex and technical, but we need a diplomatic solution that is very clear on the issues they are willing to negotiate and the concessions they are willing to make upfront so that those conversations are worthwhile," he said on camera hours before the president paused his latest idea. Rubio stated that the Iranians seemed unsure of what they wanted, unable to even establish "a framework," and that Washington was trying to identify what Iran is willing to discuss and what concessions it could make in advance. Five hours later, Trump announced a pause due to supposedly significant progress in negotiations that aren't even conducted in person.
There are still about 1,600 ships with over 23,000 crew members stranded in or near the strait. That's why Rubio was very insistent in his responses, pointing out that in practice, Operation Epic Fury - the one involving bombings and attacks on Iran - was over and done with, and that the important thing now was the Freedom Project, the escort for ships and tankers. Shortly after, his boss decided it was the opposite and that the new plan was on hold, although the blockade itself has not ended.
"Many countries, privately - and some publicly - have asked the United States to help free their ships and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Ormuz, in this critical artery of global trade. And so, President Trump, as he always does, stepped forward and responded to these requests for help, ordering the US military to guide these stranded ships to safety, to provide a protective bubble under which they can operate and transport goods and sail out of there and out of danger. We are doing this not only because we have been asked to but because we are the only ones who can. We, only we, have the capacity to take the steps we have taken now. Under this president, under President Trump, the United States will help its friends," Rubio boasted in his appearance.
"What Iran is doing is a criminal act, and someone has to do something about it. Action must be taken. It is completely illegal, completely illegitimate, and completely unacceptable. That is why the US military is safely guiding the trapped commercial ships through the strait and working to restore freedom of navigation and put an end to these attempts to hold the global economy hostage," he insisted.