It's no secret that America's Gulf allies bore the brunt of Iran's military retaliation in the wake of Operation Epic Fury. Now there are reports of Washington being brushed back when it comes to ongoing base access in the region.
President Trump abruptly halted plans to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia suspended US military access to its bases and airspace for the operation, two US officials told NBC. Kuwait is reported to have imposed similar restrictions in wake of being on the receiving end of Iranian missiles.
According to the officials, Trump caught Gulf allies off guard when he announced Project Freedom on Truth Social, triggering anger in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is said to have responded by informing Washington that US forces would not be permitted to operate aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base southeast of Riyadh or transit Saudi airspace in support of the mission.
Other Gulf allies were also reportedly surprised by the development, with Drop Site News also reporting Kuwait has made a similar move to cut or restrict base access. According to more details from the NBC report:
In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, 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 pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace.
But here is how Trump framed the pause at the time in a Truth Social post: "Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally"... and he also said it was necessary "to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed."
By the following day it became clear that the two sides were no closer to getting to the negotiating table, much less actually inking an agreement to end the war.
The White House is meanwhile denying the main content of the NBC report, with one official insisting that "regional allies were briefed in advance."
Washington seemed genuinely shocked and surprised at the level of retaliation Iran unleashed on the region. Tehran has said it went after American bases in the Gulf, and as punishment for the countries hosting them. The response involved weeks of literally hundreds if not thousands of missiles and drones being launched. These hit oil, gas, and energy infrastructure - as well as radar, airbases, and military outposts.
Follow-up reports have said that well over a dozen US regional bases were decimated and made uninhabitable - something which the Pentagon has sought to downplay or else keep totally under wraps.
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