President Donald Trump’s sudden decision to suspend “Project Freedom” — a U.S.-led effort to help commercial ships safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz — came after Saudi Arabia restricted U.S. military access to its bases and airspace, according to an NBC News report citing two U.S. officials.
The report said Trump’s surprise announcement of the operation on social media over the weekend caught key Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, by surprise.
According to NBC News, Saudi authorities have informed Washington that the US military will not be allowed to operate aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh or use Saudi airspace to support the mission.
The restriction reportedly caused major logistical complications for the operation, which depended heavily on regional overflight permits and military coordination.
The Trump-MBS call failed to resolve the dispute
News reports said Trump spoke to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the phone in an attempt to resolve the issue.
However, the conversation did not produce a breakthrough, according to the report, forcing the Trump administration to temporarily suspend Project Freedom to maintain a broader US military approach in the region.
A Saudi source cited by the outlet said Trump and the crown prince “have been in regular contact,” adding that Saudi officials have also stayed in touch with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and officials at US Central Command.
Asked if Saudi Arabia was surprised by the announcement, the source said: “The problem with that assumption is that things happen quickly in real time.
The source also reportedly said that Saudi Arabia remains “very supportive of diplomatic efforts” led by Pakistan to broker talks between the United States and Iran.
The Gulf Allies were reportedly taken by surprise
The news outlet said other Gulf allies, including Qatar and Oman, were also not fully briefed before the operation began.
A Middle East diplomat told NBC News that the United States only coordinated with Oman after Trump publicly announced Project Freedom.
“The United States made a statement and then coordinated with us,” the diplomat said, adding: “We were not upset or angry.”
The White House disputed suggestions that allies were blindsided.
A White House official said in a statement: “Regional allies have been notified in advance.
Trump later spoke with Qatar’s emir after the operation began. According to a Qatari statement cited by the news report, the leaders discussed maritime security, global supply chains and the importance of de-escalation.
The US military has already launched an operation
Before the pause was announced, US Central Command said two US-flagged ships had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz under the protection of Project Freedom.
NBC News reported that the U.S. military began deploying additional naval assets to the Persian Gulf to support the effort before the operation was halted about 36 hours after it was launched.
According to one US official quoted: “Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to use their airspace along their borders.
The official added that the military aircraft were essential to protect the ships during transit operations and effectively provided a defensive shield against Iranian threats.
The US military continues to maintain a large regional presence, including fighter jets, tankers and air defense systems based at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Trump signals diplomatic opening with Iran
And in a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said Project Freedom would be “on hold for a short period of time” to see if a broader deal could be finalized to end the conflict with Iran.
Trump said in the Oval Office, “They want to make a deal.”
He added that there had been “very good talks” over the past 24 hours.
Iran is now reviewing a new US-backed peace proposal, with Pakistan acting as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency that Tehran was assessing the proposal before further discussions.
Trump also told PBS that he hoped a deal could be reached before his upcoming trip to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I think it has a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them,” Trump said.
China is pushing for a ceasefire as tensions continue
China also joined the diplomatic effort this week.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian officials on Wednesday and stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei dismissed the latest US proposal in a social media post, calling it a “wish list until it becomes a reality.”
Read also | Rubio, Pope push for peace during Vatican talks on Iran war
