The scheme is said to have angered Saudi leadership, who were not consulted in advance
Maira Butt, The Independent, Thursday 07 May 2026 15:09 BST
President Donald Trump dramatically backtracked on Project Freedom after just two days because its Gulf ally, Saudi Arabia, blocked access to its military bases and airspace, according to reports.
Just 48 hours after announcing the operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US leader paused the initiative to enable negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Iran had attacked ships across the Gulf and struck a port in the UAE on Tuesday.
It has now emerged that Trump’s decision to pause the operation was driven by complaints by Saudi Arabia, two US officials told NBC News.
Saudi Arabia’s leaders had been angered by the announcement and the government told the US it would not allow American military forces to fly aircraft through Prince Sultan Airbase, located southeast of its capital, Riyadh.
Officials said the Kingdom denied access for any US aircraft to fly through Saudi airspace as part of Project Freedom.
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A call is reported to have taken place between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the pair were unable to reach a resolution – forcing the US president to axe the operation.
The leaders “have been in touch regularly” and officials are also in touch with vice president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, a Saudi source told NBC News.
“The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time,” the source said about the announcement, adding that the country was “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to guide the countries towards an agreement.
A White House official told NBC News that “regional allies were notified in advance.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
A diplomat in the region said that the operation was not coordinated with Oman either. “The US made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” they said, adding, “We were not upset or angry.”
“Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to utilise their airspace along their borders,” one US official explained about the success of the scheme.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping route for global supplies of oil, fertiliser and other commodities that has been virtually closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, causing global price rises.
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Trump said the operation was a “humanitarian effort to rescue ships running low on essentials after more than two months trapped in the Persian Gulf”.
He said the mission would begin on Monday morning and warned that any interference would “have to be dealt with forcefully”.
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