Trump reversed Hormuz ship escort plan
\nNBC reports Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, were caught off guard by operation
\n washington
\nUS President Donald Trump abruptly halted a naval operation, which he called \u201cProject Freedom\u201d, aimed at escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia suspended Washington\u2019s access to key military bases and airspace needed for the mission, NBC News reported, citing two US officials.
\nAccording to the report, Trump announced the operation over the weekend as part of efforts to break Iran\u2019s blockade of the strategic waterway, but the move reportedly angered Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, which was reportedly not consulted beforehand.
\nNBC News reported that Riyadh responded by informing Washington it would no longer permit US military aircraft to operate from Prince Sultan Airbase or transit through Saudi airspace in support of the mission. The restrictions reportedly forced the White House to pause the operation to restore military access to the region.
\nFurthermore, the US officials told NBC that a call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore US military access to the critical airspace.
\nThe US military maintains fighter aircraft, refuelling tankers and air defences at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia.
\nOther Gulf allies, including Qatar, were also reportedly surprised by the announcement, with NBC reporting Doha was contacted only after the operation had already begun.
\nA Saudi source told NBC News that Trump and the crown prince \u201chave been in touch regularly.\u201d Saudi officials were also in touch with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, US Central Command and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the source added.
\nThe source also said Riyadh supported Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic efforts aimed at brokering a deal between Iran and the United States to end the conflict.
\nAsked whether the announcement of Project Freedom caught the Saudi leaders by surprise, the Saudi source said: \u201cThe problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.\u201d
\nNBC further reported that a White House official rejected suggestions that regional allies were blindsided, insisting they had been informed in advance.
\nA Middle Eastern diplomat also told NBC News that Oman was only consulted after Trump publicly announced the operation, though Muscat was \u201cnot upset or angry\u201d over the matter.
\nAccording to the report, the US military had already begun preparing additional naval deployments in the Gulf before the operation was suspended roughly 36 hours after launch. US Central Command had earlier announced that two US-flagged vessels had successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz under the initiative.
\nIn his post, Trump said Project Freedom would be \u201cpaused for a short period of time to see whether or not\u201d an agreement to resolve the war \u201ccan be finalized and signed.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to utilise their airspace along their borders,\u201d another US official told NBC, adding in some cases there is no other way around.
\nTrump called the emir of Qatar after Project Freedom began, and a Qatari official said in a statement that they discussed the ceasefire agreement and \u201cimplications for maritime security and global supply chains.\u201d The statement said the emir emphasised the importance of de-escalation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Trump reversed Hormuz ship escort plan NBC reports Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, were caught off guard by operation washington US President Donald Trump abruptly halted a naval operation, which he called \u201cProject Freedom\u201d, aimed at escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia suspended Washington\u2019s access to key military bases and airspace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545244,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-545225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n