The plan lived for roughly 36 hours. Announced by Donald Trump on social media one Sunday afternoon, Project Freedom was to be an American military escort for oil tankers threading the Strait of Hormuz, the follow-on to the Epic Fury bombing campaign against Iran. By early Wednesday the president had paused it, and the reason, per NBC News and The Guardian, was a flat refusal from Saudi Arabia: no flying from Prince Sultan Airbase, which sits southeast of Riyadh, and no passage through Saudi airspace. A call between Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not dissolve the objection.
The gap between the two sides’ accounts is itself the story. A White House official, asked about Gulf leaders being blindsided, said “Regional allies were notified in advance.” A Middle Eastern diplomat put it differently: “The U.S. made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” though the diplomat insisted no anger was involved. A Saudi source, asked whether the announcement had caught Riyadh by surprise, answered: “The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.” The same source described the kingdom as “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to broker an end to the war.
Why Riyadh Said No
The Guardian’s reporting fills in the Saudi calculus. Riyadh feared the escort plan lacked clear terms of engagement and could slide into a naval clash with Iran, killing the truce that had held in part since 7 April. Tehran had said plainly that it would treat an American escort of tankers, or strikes on its shipping, as ceasefire breaches, exposing Gulf states to drone and missile attacks on bases and energy installations, damage The Guardian reports may exceed what has been disclosed. The Saudis also worried the Houthis might be drawn in, closing the Red Sea and menacing the export route they had quietly secured: an understanding with Iran protects the pipeline to Yanbu, letting the kingdom move as much as 50% of its output that way.
The episode also widened the fault line inside the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates, furious at bearing the brunt of Iran’s attacks and unconvinced by Saudi caution, has already left the Saudi-dominated oil producers’ club and is weighing a departure from the Arab League as well; Emirati tankers have tested the blockade with transponders switched off. Saudi Arabia, larger and warier on Israel, has pushed with France for a revived two-state formula, and carries separate quarrels with the Emirates across Yemen, Somalia and Sudan.
The Machinery That Stopped
Under the hood, the operation depended on what the military calls access, basing and overflight: fighters, refueling tankers and defenses stationed at Prince Sultan; Jordan for basing, Kuwait for overflight, Oman for both plus naval logistics. Central Command had announced two US-flagged ships through the strait under the scheme, and more vessels were being lined up when the stop order came. The region still hosts two carrier strike groups, a footprint larger than when the war opened on February 28.
The pause, in Trump’s telling, was “paused for a short period of time to see whether or not” a settlement “can be finalized and signed.” China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, meeting Iranian leaders, urged the same: “We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Trump himself put the alternative bluntly: “I think it’s got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them,”
Sources
- Trump shelved ‘Project Freedom’ after Saudis refused use of bases and airspace | Saudi Arabia | The Guardian
- Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies
