RIYADH, July 2 — The story of how Saudi Arabia helped set the stage for the war with Iran, then nearly broke with Washington over how to fight it, is a human one. It begins with quiet encouragement and ends with a blunt threat to withhold the very missiles that keep Saudi cities safe. For months before the February strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Riyadh pushed behind the scenes.
It lobbied Washington, offered intelligence, and quietly backed US and Israeli officials who wanted a military solution. When the strikes came, Saudi Arabia did not object.
Then the conflict expanded. And Saudi Arabia quietly watched. The rupture came on May 3, when President Donald Trump ordered US forces into the Strait of Hormuz without first telling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
For four days, Saudi Arabia barred US aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base, grounding 43 American warplanes. It also closed its airspace to Project Freedom, the US military escort mission meant to force the strait open for merchant shipping.
MBS told Trump the operation was “not well thought-out.” He worried it risked dragging Saudi territory into direct Iranian retaliation. The New York Times reported that Trump was “left stunned.” A direct phone call between the two men failed to resolve the dispute. What changed things was not diplomacy.
It was hardware. The White House threatened to withhold deliveries of Patriot and THAAD air-defense interceptors. These are the missiles Saudi Arabia needed to shoot down Iranian drones and ballistic missiles that had been crossing its airspace since the war began.
During the conflict, Riyadh had intercepted 21 drones and 7 ballistic missiles. The implied message was unambiguous: cooperate, or absorb the next Iranian strike without American hardware.
Saudi Arabia restored access on May 7. Project Freedom was paused that same day. Trump announced the pause was by “mutual agreement” due to “great progress” toward a deal.
The operational reality was murkier. On May 7, US and Iranian forces exchanged fire near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm.
Saudi base access was only restored after the interceptor threat was delivered.
