Saudi Arabia denies opening airspace for US aggression against Iran: Report

A Saudi official has denied reports that Riyadh opened its airspace for US military aggression against Iran, saying such claims are being circulated in the media for “suspicious reasons,” a report says.

A Saudi official told Al Arabiya on Thursday that Riyadh is pursuing de-escalation and supports Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at reaching an agreement to end the US-Israeli imposed war on Iran.

“The Kingdom did not allow the use of its airspace to support offensive military operations,” the source was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity.

“There are parties trying to give a misleading image of Saudi Arabia’s position for suspicious reasons,” claimed the official.  

The report comes after the Wall Street Journal claimed that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had lifted restrictions on US military use of their bases.

The two Arab states reportedly curbed the US military use of their territory after President Donald Trump launched the so-called “Project Freedom” aimed at breaking Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz. 

Less than 48 hours later, Trump said that the military operation was being suspended by “mutual agreement,” citing what he described as “great progress” toward a potential deal with Iran.

However, reports later said that Trump’s decision to retreat from the plan came following significant backlash from its close Persian Gulf ally, Saudi Arabia.

Trump halted ‘Project Freedom’ after backlash from Saudi Arabia: US officials

Two US officials say Trump

They said Riyadh communicated to Washington its unwillingness to permit the US military to operate aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base as well as to traverse Saudi airspace for the controversial plan.

Trump personally reached out to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mitigate the fallout, but the phone conversation failed to yield any resolution and prompted the president to temporarily halt the operation, two US officials told NBC News. 

The US and Israel launched their war of aggression against Iran on February 28. The two enemies used the territories of the Persian Gulf states — Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan — for launching airstrikes against Iranian territory.

In some cases, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf directly participated in unlawful armed attacks against Iran.

During 40 days of intense fighting, Iran’s Armed Forces delivered a series of devastating strikes on enemy targets, effectively paralyzing the US and its air defense systems inside the Persian Gulf Arab states.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned that Washington’s regional allies need to be aware of the fact that the armed forces have so far “shown great restraint and exercised caution in selecting its targets for retaliation, out of respect for good neighborly relations.”

In response to any further aggression against the country from the airspace or territory of those countries, it said, the IRGC “will inflict such damage on the infrastructure of the US and its partners that they will be deprived of the region's oil and gas for years to come."

Tehran has constantly warned US allies in the region to discontinue their alignment and cooperation with the parties that are hostile towards Iran, saying the Islamic Republic reserves all rights to respond in kind.

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