ICYMI, NBC with the rep[ort that Saudi Arabia blocked U.S. military use of a key airbase and airspace, forcing Trump to pause Project Freedom, his plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, within 36 hours of launch.
Summary: Trump’s Project Freedom, announced over the weekend as a plan to escort commercial ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz, was halted roughly 36 hours after it began after Saudi Arabia informed the U.S. it would not allow military aircraft to operate from Prince Sultan Airbase or through Saudi airspace to support the mission, according to two U.S. officials A phone call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman failed to resolve the dispute, leaving the president with no choice but to pause the operation to preserve U.S. military access to critical Gulf airspace, per the same officials Other Gulf allies including Qatar and Oman were also caught off guard by the announcement, with the U.S. coordinating with Oman only after Trump had already made the operation public, according to a Middle Eastern diplomat cited in the reporting The U.S. military had been positioning additional ships in the Gulf for transit when the order to stop came through; U.S
Central Command had earlier confirmed two U.S.-flagged vessels completed the passage as part of the operation, per officials Trump framed the pause as temporary, saying Project Freedom would be suspended to allow time to determine whether a peace agreement could be finalised, per his social media post Saudi Arabia said it was supportive of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to broker a deal between Iran and the U.S., and a Saudi source said Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been in regular contact, per NBC News Main article: President Donald Trump’s plan to use U.S. military force to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within 36 hours of launch after Saudi Arabia withdrew permission for American forces to use a critical airbase and fly…