More than 1,500 commercial ships sit idle off the coast of Iran, carrying roughly 23,000 sailors from nearly 90 countries. This waterway normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil and gas. On Monday, May 4, the US Navy launched a mission called Project Freedom to guide these ships through the Strait of Hormuz. By Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump had paused it. Trump announced the pause on Truth Social, saying there had been great progress toward a complete agreement with Iran. He said the pause was made at Pakistan's request and other countries' request. Project Freedom would stop for a short time to see if an agreement could be finalized. During the brief 24-hour operation, US Navy forces destroyed six to seven Iranian fast boats. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, was finished. However, tensions remain high. The day before Project Freedom began, Iran fired 15 missiles at the United Arab Emirates, striking the Fujairah industrial complex. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. China is Iran's largest crude oil buyer and holds a strategic partnership with Tehran. Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15. The crisis remains serious, with thousands of sailors waiting and oil prices having risen significantly since March when Iran formally closed the strait.