Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials.

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Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, officials said, angering Saudi leaders. In response, the Kingdom informed the United States that it would not allow the U.S. military to fly planes from Prince Sultan Air Base, southeast of Riyadh, or cross Saudi airspace to support its efforts, the officials said.

A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to suspend Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to critical airspace.

Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard; the president spoke with Qatar’s leaders after efforts had already begun.

A Saudi source told NBC News that Trump and the crown prince “are in contact regularly.” Saudi officials were also in contact with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, US Central Command and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the source added.

Asked whether the announcement of Project Freedom surprised Saudi leaders, the Saudi source responded: “The problem with that premise is that things happen quickly in real time. The source said Saudi Arabia was “very supportive of diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to broker a deal between Iran and the United States to end the war.

A White House official said in a statement, when asked whether some Gulf state leaders were caught off guard by the announcement of the U.S. effort to help ships transit the Strait of Hormuz: “Regional allies were informed in advance.”

A Middle East diplomat said the United States only coordinated Project Freedom with the Omanis after Trump’s announcement. “The United States made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” the diplomat said, adding, “we were not upset or angry.”

Trump had announced the operation over the weekend as a way to break Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and his top national security officials spent much of Tuesday talking about the effort in public press briefings at the Pentagon and the White House, only to see the president suddenly halt the operation about 36 hours after it began.

The U.S. military was in the process of lining up a number of additional ships in the Gulf to transit the strait when the operation was halted, a U.S. official said. US Central Command earlier announced that two US-flagged ships had crossed the strait as part of Project Freedom.

In his message, Trump said Project Freedom would be “on hold for a short time to see if ‘an agreement to resolve the war’ can be finalized and signed.”

The U.S. military maintains fighter jets, tankers and air defenses at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis allowed the United States to fly planes from there to support the war in Iran, as well as allowing planes based in neighboring countries to fly over Iran.

“Because of geography, you need cooperation from regional partners to use their airspace along their borders,” a U.S. official said. In some cases, there is no other solution, the official explained. Military aircraft played a vital role in protecting ships during Project Freedom, essentially providing a defensive umbrella.

The U.S. military refers to permission to use another country’s territory as ABO, which stands for access, basing, and overflight. Fighter jets, tankers and support aircraft all need permission from key regional allies to fly. Saudi Arabia and Jordan play an essential role in allowing aircraft to park there, Kuwait is essential for the overflight and Oman for the overflight and naval logistics.

Trump called Qatar’s emir after the launch of Project Freedom, and a Qatari official said in a statement that they discussed the ceasefire agreement and the “implications for maritime security and global supply chains.” The statement said the emir stressed the importance of de-escalation.

The US military continues to maintain a presence in and around the Gulf. Its footprint in the region is larger than it was on February 28, when war broke out. There are two carrier strike groups in the region, and the Pentagon has provided additional logistics and support and resupplied its inventories.

Project Freedom briefly provided the United States with military surveillance, firepower, and personnel aboard ships so they could safely exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian forces continued to threaten and attack ships transiting through this critical waterway. Pentagon officials said the operation was separate from the bombing campaign that began Feb. 28 and was dubbed “Epic Fury.”

The Trump administration has attempted to advance a negotiated agreement to end hostilities. Iran is currently considering another peace proposal with the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency. He said once the regime assesses it, Iran will discuss it with Pakistan, which plays the role of mediator. Axios first reported the details of the proposal.

In a social media post Wednesday, Trump did not detail the proposal but said the war could end if “Iran agrees to deliver what was agreed upon.”

“They want to make a deal,” Trump said Wednesday from the Oval Office. He said there had been “some very good discussions over the last 24 hours”.

Political pressure is mounting on Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections, when Republicans will fight to preserve their narrow margin in the House and majority in the Senate. In an interview with PBS on Wednesday, the president said it was possible that U.S. negotiators could reach an agreement with the Iranian regime before traveling to Beijing next week for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

“I think this has a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn’t end, we’ll have to start bombing them again,” Trump told PBS.

Several close confidants of Trump have encouraged the president to “finish the job” in Iran by eliminating the remainder of the regime’s conventional military assets, even insisting that the offensive could be completed by the time of the critical trip to China, according to several former U.S. officials.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian leaders on Wednesday and said it was essential that the war end as quickly as possible.

“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 engaged in dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said in a video of the meeting accessed by The Associated Press.

In a social media post, a senior Iranian parliament official called the latest proposal a “wish list until it becomes a reality.”

“The Americans will not obtain through a failed war what they did not obtain in face-to-face negotiations,” declared Ebrahim Rezaei on X. “Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and make the necessary concessions, or if they or their evil allies attempt to act maliciously, we will give them a harsh and regret-inducing response.

But a Jordanian official told NBC News that the diplomatic efforts were serious.

“The Iranians do not have the economic means to maintain this situation,” the official said. “Their economy is broken, they can’t pay their salaries.”