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

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. Saudi Arabia refused to drop its objections despite a call between the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Donald Trump, NBC reported. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/ 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. In a sign of the Emirates frustration with Riyadh’s caution, the UAE has already quit the Saudi-dominated oil producers club Opec and is now considering leaving the Arab League as well. The UAE as a signatory to the Abraham accords has long been closer to Israel, but the tensions within the Gulf have widened as the war has dragged on, causing untold damage to their economies and international image. …