Trump halted ‘Project Freedom’ Hormuz plan after Saudi Arabia cut off airspace, air base access: report

The New York Post ^ | 05/07/2026 | Josh Christenson

[thegagline]

President Trump suspended a plan to have the military escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabian officials warned Riyadh would not allow the US to use its airspace or air bases to support the initiative.

“Project Freedom,” which the president announced Sunday evening, was paused Tuesday following pushback from the Gulf nation — as well as a phone conversation between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that did not resolve the issue, NBC News reported.

The military operation had been intended to stop Iran from blocking the vital waterway, through which at least one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes.

Trump said in a Tuesday post on his Truth Social that he delayed Project Freedom at “the request of Pakistan and other Countries,” and due to “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”

A US-imposed naval blockade on sanctioned vessels seeking to exit or enter the strait remains “in full force and effect,” the president also said.

A Gulf source familiar with the US-Iran negotiations previously told The Post that the “cease-fire is still intact, but its stability is limited and dependent on continued restraint from both sides.”

Iran has launched at least 10 attacks on US forces since the start of the April 8 cease-fire, in addition to strikes on Persian Gulf neighbors, according to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ***

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TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 3rdtopic; agitprop; albertatroll; armchairadmirals; armchairgeneralsoffr; ettu; habitualtdstrolling; habitualtrolls; ohnozbombshell; outdated; pakistan; saudiarabia; tdsbelow; usa

[thegagline]

There are professed reasons, and then there are the real reasons.

[avital2]

still the NBC story - anything from a trustworthy source?

[mewzilla]

Not that I have found.

[gibsonguy]

I remain dubious of this. NBC launched this “news” story using the usual anonymous sources. That became basis for the other Iran cheerleaders to run this.

[bigbob]

Sounds like Marco needs to make a trip to SA and smooth some feathers.

[mewzilla]

And I looked at the Middle Eastern enemedia, too...

[mewzilla]

Sounds like some folks shouldn’t be so quick to believe everything they read.

[dforest]

The Saudis probably did for him a favor. I myself, do not think Trump wants to start up the violent stuff again.

Trump has always seemed to be a person that wants quick results. Not a person to get involved in long. protracted, adventures. He seems to prefer other methods.

Venezuela was one that he liked. Quick, and outta there. I believe someone sold him the impression Iran would be much easier than it has been.

[sauropod]

I haven’t forgotten what these bass turds did on 9/11

[Sacajaweau]

I remember when Turkey denied us going through their country during the Gulf War. I think Jordan denied us access to ??? at some point, too.

I can see their point...

[Alberta's Child]

It’s a shame Trump brought all of this on himself. The whole thing was a joke from the start when he sent two real estate agents as envoys to negotiate a deal with Iran.

[ChiefJayStrongbow]

I read an article that said the reason the Saudis (and other Arab countries) were angry was that when they agreed to the operation to escort the stranded ships out of the Strait, when Iran launched drones and rockets at the UAE and elsewhere, Trump didn’t respond with force in order to preserve the peace deal.

A lot of damage without a response angered the Saudis and others

[dennisw]

Saudi/MBS (Sunni) goal is to have Iran very much weakened militarily. But with apocalyptic Shiite Twelvers IRGC and Ayatollahs still in power. IOW Iran as regional pest and destabilizer... MBS is fine with this just so long as he can export his oil through Hormuz.

“Let our oil buying suckers (Japan Korea Taiwan) pay the 2 million dollar IRGC toll on their tankers” “f ‘em they are not Muslims anyway.”

[Leaning Right]

> Trump has always seemed to be a person that wants quick results. <

And the same goes with the American public. Americans will dig in for the long haul when responding to a Pearl Harbor type event. But there is no Pearl Harbor event here.

For better or for worse, support is drifting away from Trump.

[sauropod]

Someone that doesn’t always think things through.

[bert]

Bull Shit

[faithhopecharity]

Saudi has not the power or capacity to “shut off its airspace” or deny USA access to USA military bases.. unless USA goes along with it.

But that is not my main point here. My main point is that we really need to give the Saudi regime a clear notice to stop screwing around with us.

They ruling family there is very, very committed to staying in power, they will get the message and FAST.

[Alberta's Child]

I’m sitting here watching evidence in real time that the U.S. stock market runs up in a big way every time Trump backs down from one of his zany threats.

What does that tell you?

[Alberta's Child]

If the SA royal family didn’t spend so much money buying protection from the U.S., there wouldn’t be any reason for the U.S. to even have access to their airspace in the first place.

[faithhopecharity]

there is a ton of shared graft between the Saudi dictatorship (extended family) and certain American politicians, contractors, etcetera.

a ton. indeed, one might term the entire “Saudi-American relationship” in these corrupt shared-graft terms.

It isn’t going to go away on its own, either... either we find a way to end it or it will continue like the cancer it is, indefinitely

foreign countries all try to have some influence in WashDC.
I get that. It is part of life on Rock Three. What bugs me the most is how quickly WashDC is to crawl into bed with dictatorships (since they are ruled by just one person or a one closely-knit cabal or family... they are easy to deal with....)