Was Saudi Arabia behind Trump’s unexpected “Freedom Project” cancellation in the Strait of Hormuz?

What do we make of Israel’s killing of Hezbollah’s “Commander of the Radwan Forces”?

The Israeli drone’s assassination of Mujahid Ahmad Ghaleb Balout, commander of the special Radwan force affiliated with Hezbollah, in an attack on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut while he was chairing a secret meeting with some of his aides, was a desperate show-off attempt to cover up the human and political losses suffered by the Israeli occupation state, whether from the rockets and drones of Hezbollah that have not stopped targeting Israeli strategic

The strong comeback of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, along with unexpected changes in Lebanese politics due to the Iranian-American conflict, has caused a “slight cooling” in the official Lebanese push toward normalisation with the Israeli occupation state. Furthermore, the humiliating retreat of US President Donald Trump from his threats to obliterate Iran, as well as the freezing of the “Freedom Project” he launched to spark a confrontation with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, have all contributed to a revolution encompassing the region’s political and military situations, with Lebanon at the forefront.

We go on to state that there are three major developments, which we believe contain a lot of truth and can provide many explanations and solutions to many of the puzzles surrounding the most recent chapters of the American-Israeli onslaught against Lebanon:

• The first: Confirmation of a video news report by the famous American station “NBC,” broadcast early Thursday morning, which stated, “The sudden reversal by President Donald Trump from proceeding with the implementation of the ‘Freedom Project’ to forcibly remove the ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz (numbering 900 ships and oil tankers) was due to the Saudi leadership’s decision to prevent the use of American military bases and airspace in any attack on Iran int

• The second: The Saudi leadership, which has major power in Lebanon, has made a concerted effort to counter the Lebanese authorities’ desire to normalise relations with the Israeli occupation state and sign a “peace agreement” with it. According to Lebanese officials, this decision resulted in the suspension or cancellation of the planned meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in the coming days. This stalling and possible cancellation were confirmed by a startling comment from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who stated that addressing this meeting is still premature and requires extensive preparation. Mr. Salam is known to be one of the most enthusiastic backers of this meeting, as well as one of the most vocal advocates for convening it as soon as possible to disarm Hezbollah in collaboration with the Israeli army.

• Third, the phone call made by Mr. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, from the Chinese capital, where he was visiting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, and after Araghchi met with the Chinese leadership, just days before Trump arrived in China, suggests that significant progress was made in these discussions about the Iranian-American conflict and tension. The Saudi leadership had to receive these findings, which demonstrated continued Saudi-Iranian cooperation on this issue. Furthermore, some Iranian sources mentioned an unconfirmed secondary issue, claiming that Mr. Araghchi conveyed his leadership’s gratitude and appreciation for the Saudi position rejecting the opening of Saudi airspace and bases to launch aggression against Iran to implement the “Trump Freedom Project”.

It may be premature to rush and exaggerate in making judgments about these discoveries, which, if confirmed, are major and have regional ramifications. We do not discount the phrase “no smoke without fire,” and what is now happening in the Gulf region demonstrates the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ lack of a coordinated strategy regarding the American-Israeli onslaught against Iran. Saudi Arabia has experienced enormous pressure from both Israel and the United States to normalise relations with the occupying state of Israel, but it has not surrendered, at least so far.

These possibilities are realistic, such as keeping communication channels open with Iran and preventing the US from using Saudi bases and airspace in its war against Iran. We must not forget how the Kingdom’s leadership turned to China, strengthened its relationship with it, invited the Chinese president to visit Riyadh, celebrated his presence, and hosted three summits for him: the first was a Saudi-Chinese bilateral summit, the second was a Chinese-Gulf summit, and the third was an Arab-Chinese summit in response to the schism between Saudi Arabia and President Biden’s US administration when it was in power. We also cannot disregard the Kingdom’s support for the formation of the OPEC+ group, which was coordinated with President Putin personally in response to US pressure to raise output to cut oil prices.

The American-Israeli invasion against Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, which had previously been open for thousands of years. This aggression demonstrated not only America and Israel’s failure to achieve all of their goals, the most visible of which were the overthrow of the Iranian regime and the deprivation of its most powerful weapons, namely the nuclear file and advanced missile and drone industries, but also their inability, and possibly unwillingness, to protect their allies and the hosts of their military bases in the Gulf.

In conclusion, we support Islamic and Arab-Iranian reconciliation, as well as unity in the face of the state of Israeli occupation, which is characterised by sedition, aggression, hegemony, fragmentation, and territorial usurpation. We hope that Saudi Arabia’s perspective, like that of the majority of Arab countries, would shift toward confronting and ending its occupation and sedition, resulting in regional security and stability. This is not an unrealistic request; we regard it as feasible and extremely close.

Was Saudi Arabia behind Trump’s unexpected “Freedom Project” cancellation in the Strait of Hormuz?