Saudi Arabia has refused US support for Operation "Project Freedom" - a program to organize the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, because Washington did not notify the kingdom in advance of its initiative, NBC News reported, citing two unnamed US administration officials.
According to the report, the announcement of the operation, made by US President Donald Trump on the social media platform TruthSocial, surprised the Gulf states and "angered the Saudi leadership". In response, Riyadh has informed Washington that it will not allow US troops to take off from the air base base “Prince Sultan“ and will prohibit them from using its airspace.
A subsequent phone call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, according to NBC News, failed to resolve the situation. The American leader was then forced to suspend the operation.
On May 5, the White House announced that the United States had decided to suspend operations to organize the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz until it received information that negotiations for a deal with Iran could be successfully concluded and an agreement could be reached.