Nobody gets to tell the United States of America what to do! Well, except Israel. And, I guess, maybe Qatar. Oh, and also apparently also Saudi Arabia too.
Yup, new reports indicate that Donald Trump has been firmly put in his place by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who gave him a quick reminder of who really holds the levers of power in the Middle East.
On Sunday afternoon Trump proudly announced “Project Freedom”, intended to use the U.S. military to break Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, with its closure sending gas prices skyrocketing and cratering international trade.
Project Freedom threatened the shaky US/Iran ceasefire, so Iran promptly attacked US ships, though Dan Caine insisted that this was “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.” And so, hours after his big announcement, Trump quickly walked it back, confirming that Project Freedom was now “paused”:
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, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”
Stay in your lane, Donald
Now, as per a report by NBC News, we know why. Saudi Arabia was furious about Project Freedom, and the Kingdom not only refused permission for US aircraft to use Prince Sultan Airbase, but also refused permission for US aircraft to fly through Saudi airspace at all. Frantic calls ensued between Trump and the Crown Prince, with Trump seemingly being told to cease his nonsense immediately.
Report: Trump backtracked on Strait of Hormuz operation under Saudi pressurehttps://t.co/mNVhoacp62
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) May 7, 2026
The Saudis were particularly angry that they weren’t consulted before his plan was announced, with NBC’s source underlining that the Kingdom is “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to broker a deal between Iran and the U.S. to end the war.”
It appears the Emir of Qatar was also quite displeased, and made his concerns known to Trump in a telephone call after Project Freedom began, with Qatar worried this would escalate hostilities and have “implications for maritime security and global supply chains.”
All of which leaves Trump with one of the strongest militaries in the world, but no way to effectively use it. It also leaves Iran in the same strong negotiating position they’ve been in throughout the war, which can be summed up as: “give us what we want and we’ll open the Strait”.
Trump is desperate to get out of this disastrous and costly war, which is cratering his approval ratings even amongst his most adamant fans as the cost of living steadily rises for regular folk. The Iranians know this, so it’s likely they’ll get what they want, with the Trump administration doubtless figuring out a way to spin a crushing defeat into any kind of strategic victory.
Published: May 7, 2026 05:05 am