OR Saudi Arabia and the Kuwait lifted the restrictions they had imposed on the use of their bases and airspace by the US military after the start of “Design Freedom” for the opening of Strait of Hormuzaccording to US and Saudi officials.
The government Trump is now considering resuming the business of escorting merchant ships with naval and air support, which it suspended earlier this week, US officials told the WSJ. It’s unclear when that could happen, though Pentagon officials said it could be as soon as this week.
The American operation to open the Straits relied on a huge fleet of aircraft to protect merchant ships from Iranian missiles and droneswhich necessitated the use of Saudi and Kuwaiti bases and airspace.
However, this particular operation appears to have caused the most serious crisis in US-Saudi military relations in recent years, sparking back-to-back high-level phone calls between Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and increasing the risk of a rupture in the longstanding security agreement between Washington and Riyadh.
OR Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked the use of the bases by the US military after senior US officials downplayed Iranian attacks in the Persian Gulf in response to the Straits operation. The Saudis and other Gulf states also worried that the US would not adequately protect them in the event of an escalation.
THE Trump suspended the operation after a phone call with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salmanduring which the country’s de facto leader expressed his concerns and informed the US president about the decision regarding restrictions on the use of bases and airspace. Trump tried to convince himlater saying on social media that he had agreed to suspend the initiative at the request of Pakistan and other countries.
Finally, US forces’ access to bases and overflights over Saudi Arabia was restored after another telephone conversation between the two leadersaccording to US and Saudi officials.
US Defense Department officials said that, should the operation resume, merchant ships coordinating with the US will move through a narrow corridor which has been cleared of mines and will be protected by US warships and aircraft.
Source: Wall Street Journal
