US President Donald Trump’s decision to pause a US operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz came as a result of pressure from Saudi Arabia, according to an NBC News report citing two US officials.
According to the officials, the US’s allies among the Gulf states were surprised by Trump’s Sunday announcement of Project Freedom, which was launched on Monday.
Saudi Arabian leadership informed the US that it would not allow US military aircraft to fly from the Saudi Prince Sultan Airbase or through Saudi airspace to carry out the effort to escort stranded vessels out of the strait, the report continued.
Trump attempted to resolve the issue with a call to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to no avail, the officials stated. Trump was then forced to halt the effort in order to regain US military access to the strategically critical airspace.
During the US’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran and before the ongoing temporary US-Iran ceasefire, Saudi Arabia allowed the US to fly aircraft from the Prince Sultan Airbase, at which the US military maintains fighter aircraft and air defenses.
One US official emphasized the importance of Saudi cooperation on operations in the area, telling NBC that due to the geography of the region, in some cases, utilizing an ally’s airspace is the only option.
Military aircraft were used to provide a defensive umbrella to ships attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz under Project Freedom, something that could not be achieved without the necessary airspace permissions.
Regional allies regularly in touch with US officials
A Saudi source told NBC that the crown prince and other Saudi officials “have been in touch regularly” with Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, US Central Command (CENTCOM), and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
As for the surprise of Project Freedom, the Saudi source stated that “the problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.”
He added that while Saudi Arabia may not have supported the efforts in Hormuz, it is “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” being made by Pakistan to help the US and Iran reach a deal to end the war.
In a statement regarding Gulf allies being caught off guard by the announcement of Project Freedom, a White House official stated that “regional allies were notified in advance.”
A Middle Eastern diplomat, however, said that the US did not try to coordinate on the operation with Oman until after the announcement. “The US made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” he said, noting that Omani officials “were not upset or angry.”
