Trump decided to put the brakes on 'Project Freedom' following Saudi Arabia's decision to block the use of its air bases for the US

The NBC News media outlet revealed Wednesday that the president's surprising turn Donald Trump regarding his plan to assist ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz came shortly after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made the sudden decision to completely suspend U.S. use of its military bases and airspace for such an operation.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the media outlet detailed that Saudi leaders took this action after feeling extremely frustrated by the fact that the Republican leader announced on Sunday afternoon, through his official Truth Social account, the so-called "Project Freedom," taking all his allies in the Gulf by surprise. According to what NBC reported, shortly after Trump's publication, the kingdom told his administration that it would not allow any of its aircraft to cross the Islamic nation's airspace or operate from Prince Sultan Air Base.

Surprised by the operation

The media investigation also revealed that much of America's Gulf allies were surprised by the operation, detailing that Trump tried to resolve the matter through a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which he tried to convince him that there was no need to completely suspend the use of their military bases and airspace. Despite these attempts, the Republican president could not convince the Muslim monarch and decided to suspend "Project Freedom" in order to continue to have air access in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most strategic in the Middle East.

Similarly, NBC News explained that a White House official stated in a release that "Regional allies were notified in advance," regarding the announcement of the Trump Administration's effort to help ships transit the Strait of Hormuz. Likewise, a Middle East diplomat told the outlet that Washington did not coordinate "Project Freedom" with the Omani government until hours after Trump announced it, noting that "We were not upset or angry."

On the operation, Trump had commented that such a move was in response to requests from countries around the world whose vessels have been caught up in the regional conflictdespite being "neutral and innocent bystanders," stressing that one of the primary goals of "Project Freedom" was to free people and businesses that have no connection to the hostilities.