President Donald Trump's hastily announced plan to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within 36 hours after Saudi Arabia revoked U.S. military access to critical airbases and airspace, forcing the administration to hit pause on the operation it had just launched.
Trump unveiled "Project Freedom" on social media Sunday without advance coordination with key regional partners, catching Saudi leadership off guard. The move infuriated the kingdom, which swiftly informed the Pentagon that U.S. aircraft would no longer be permitted to fly from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or transit Saudi airspace in support of the operation.
A subsequent call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman failed to resolve the standoff. The impasse forced the president to suspend Project Freedom roughly 36 hours after national security officials had spent an entire day publicly promoting it at the Pentagon and White House.
The military operation, designed to break Iran's blockade of the strategic waterway, required extensive air support that simply could not function without Saudi cooperation. U.S. fighter jets, refueling tankers and air defense systems based at Prince Sultan Airbase were essential to protecting merchant vessels transiting the Gulf. In some cases, there is no alternative route around Saudi airspace.
"Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to utilize their airspace along their borders," one U.S. official explained. The military refers to such permissions as ABO, or access, basing and overflight. Saudi Arabia and Jordan are critical for aircraft basing, Kuwait for overflight, and Oman for both overflight and naval logistics support.
The operation had already begun when Trump made his Sunday announcement. Two U.S. flagged ships had successfully transited the strait as part of Project Freedom, and the military was lining up additional vessels when the order came to stop.
Other Gulf allies were equally surprised. Trump called Qatar's emir only after Project Freedom had begun, and the U.S. did not coordinate with Oman until after the announcement went public. A Middle Eastern diplomat said the U.S. simply "made an announcement and then coordinated with us," though Oman responded less harshly than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials took a more measured public tone in their response. A Saudi source told NBC News that Trump and the crown prince "have been in touch regularly" and emphasized the kingdom's support for Pakistani diplomatic efforts aimed at brokering a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. The source declined to characterize the surprise announcement as a breach, instead suggesting that developments were happening "quickly in real time."
A White House official countered criticism by asserting that "regional allies were notified in advance," a claim that directly contradicts accounts from multiple U.S. officials and regional diplomats.
In a social media post Wednesday, Trump announced the pause, saying Project Freedom would be shelved temporarily "to see whether or not" a peace agreement "can be finalized and signed." The administration has been pushing hard for a negotiated end to the conflict, with Trump suggesting a deal could materialize before his planned trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"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," Trump said in a PBS interview.
Iran is reviewing a new U.S. peace proposal, with Pakistan serving as a mediator. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the regime would assess the proposal before discussing it with Pakistani officials. A senior Iranian parliament official dismissed the latest proposal as a "wish list until it becomes a reality," warning that Iran has "its finger on the trigger and is ready" if negotiations fail.
A Jordanian official offered a more optimistic assessment, telling NBC News that the diplomatic push is genuine. "The Iranians don't have the economic means to keep this going," the official said. "Their economy is failing, they can't pay salaries."
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi also weighed in Wednesday, meeting with Iranian leaders and calling for an immediate ceasefire. The U.S. military maintains a substantial presence throughout the Gulf, with two carrier strike groups currently deployed and expanded logistics support since the war began in late February.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Trump's weekend power move backfired the moment Saudi Arabia pulled the plug, exposing how little he can accomplish in the region without the kingdom's cooperation."
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