Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked U.S. President Donald Trump on X after the president halted the United States’ “Project Freedom” operation, which had been intended to escort more than 1,500 commercial vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. Ghalibaf’s post read: “Operation Trust Me Bro failed. Now back to routine with Operation Fauxios,” a jab that combined “trust me, bro” with a reference to the U.S. news outlet Axios, which had reported progress in a 14‑point memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington.
Trump suspended the escort mission only two days after it began, citing “great progress” in negotiations and a request from Pakistan as the reasons for the pause. The decision came amid heightened tension after Iran claimed to have struck a U.S. warship attempting to navigate the narrow waterway—a claim the United States denied.
The Axios report suggested the one‑page MoU would see Iran impose a moratorium on its nuclear enrichment program, the United States lift sanctions and unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets, and grant free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The document also reportedly called for the U.S. to await Iran’s response before resuming any military activity. Tehran, however, has not yet issued an official reply, with senior Iranian officials describing several clauses in the draft as “unacceptable.”
A source cited by the Iranian news agency Tasnim argued that American media coverage was aimed at justifying Trump’s withdrawal from the operation, describing the move as “wrong from the beginning” and “never should have been carried out.” The source added that the United States continues to demand the total dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, the surrender of its enriched uranium stockpile, and unimpeded passage through the Strait, which accounts for roughly 20 % of global seaborne oil trade.
Iran maintains that it does not intend to develop a nuclear weapon and has rejected calls to hand over its enriched uranium. Tehran also insists that any agreement must include guarantees against aggression and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Gulf region.
The suspension of Project Freedom underscores the fragility of diplomatic overtures in a region already strained by the February attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. With both sides awaiting further developments, the outlook for a durable resolution to the Strait of Hormuz standoff remains uncertain.
