Trump’s Hormuz operation sparks the biggest rift in US-Saudi relations in years: Here’s why

The United States and Saudi Arabia are experiencing a significant strain in their relations, unseen for years, according to the details revealed by the Wall Street Journal.

This comes after Riyadh deliberately torpedoed Project Freedom, President Trump’s Hormuz escort operation within roughly a day of its official launch by limiting the US military’s use of Saudi bases and airspace.

Project Freedom was initially announced by Trump in May as a significant effort to guide stranded commercial ships safely out of the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's blockade of the waterway.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait having been taken aback by the key announcement moved immediately to block the US military from using the Prince Sultan Airbase and their airspace to successfully carry out the mission.

Washington is now contemplating a military drawdown in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and is considering shifting some capabilities to Israel. This follows the widespread destruction Iran inflicted on US bases across the Gulf, including roughly 400 million dollars in major damage to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain that the Pentagon has kept undisclosed.

According to a Saudi official, the crisis reveals the limits of relying entirely on the US alliance, adding that it shows the partnership has clear limitations.

Tensions persisted between the two governments over how the war with Iran could end. Meanwhile Gulf states are urging Washington to gradually dismantle Iran’s military capabilities while the Trump administration has sought a compromise including the memorandum of understanding reached with Tehran in June.