Trump shelved 'Project Freedom' after Saudis refused use of bases and airspace [View all]

Earlier DU threads:
● Trump's abrupt U-turn on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz came after backlash from allies
● GRAMPY called off "Project Freedom" after he FAILED TO MAKE A "DEAL" on the phone with "Prince" Mohammed bin Bonesaw
● Saudis shorted out Project Freedom

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Source: The Guardian

Trump shelved ‘Project Freedom’ after Saudis refused use of bases and airspace

Riyadh told White House it would deny access for operation to provide tankers military escort through strait of Hormuz

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Thu 7 May 2026 19.05 BST
First published on Thu 7 May 2026 17.23 BST

A refusal by Saudi Arabia to allow the US to use its bases and airspace to provide a military escort for oil tankers passing through the strait of Hormuz lay behind Donald Trump’s decision to shelve the plan days after it had been launched.

Riyadh told the White House it would not allow its Prince Sultan airbase to be used to mount the operation billed as Project Freedom, which the US presented as the successor to the bombing campaign called Operation Epic Fury.

Saudi Arabia refused to drop its objections despite a personal call between the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and Trump, NBC reported.

The confrontation – not denied by Riyadh – underlines Saudi Arabia’s desire for a permanent end to the damaging US-Israel war on Iran on almost any terms, in contrast to its more assertive Gulf neighbour, the United Arab Emirates.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/07/trump-project-freedom-saudi-arabia-strait-of-hormuz