US President Donald Trump halted the naval operation to guide trapped ships through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabia told Washington it wouldn’t let American aircraft involved in the effort use the kingdom’s airspace, NBC News reported Thursday.

The report cited two US officials as saying Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states were surprised by Trump’s announcement of Project Freedom on Sunday, and that Trump later spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the matter but was unable to reach a resolution.

Trump said Tuesday that he was halting Project Freedom, claiming “great progress” in Pakistani-mediated peace talks with Iran in the war that the US and Israel launched on February 28.

The talks have faltered over Iran’s nuclear program and the postwar control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked by NBC if the naval operation caught Saudi leaders off guard, a source from the kingdom told the outlet that “the problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.”

The source also said Saudi Arabia is “very supportive of the diplomatic efforts” by Pakistan to broker an agreement between the US and Iran.

A White House spokesperson said “regional allies were notified in advance,” though a Middle Eastern diplomat quoted by NBC said the US didn’t coordinate with Oman until after Trump’s announcement.

“The US made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” the diplomat said, adding, “we were not upset or angry.”

Meanwhile, a regional source cited by CNN Thursday said Iran was expected to give mediators a response to the latest US proposal during the........

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