Saudi Arabia conducted covert strikes on Iran during the Middle East war. Neither Riyadh nor Tehran has officially acknowledged the attacks.

According to a report published by Reuters on Wednesday,  the Royal Saudi Air Force launched “numerous, unpublicized” attacks on Iran in late March. One unnamed official described the strikes as tit-for-tat retaliation “for when Saudi [Arabia] was hit.” The report cited several sources familiar with the incident.

Retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into ​Iraq, multiple sources familiar with the matter said.

Sources also told Reuters that Saudi Arabia informed Iran in advance, and that the strikes were followed by intense diplomacy and threats of further retaliation. The backchannel contact reportedly helped produce an informal de-escalation deal that brought the attacks to a halt.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirites both host major US military bases and have long relied on Washington’s security umbrella. Both countries have repeatedly come under missile and drone attacks as Iran retaliated against the US-Israeli campaign launched in late February. –RT

The UAE has adopted a more hawkish tone recently. It has been condemning the strikes on its territory as a dangerous escalation and asserting its “right to respond,” as well as largely freezing public diplomacy with Iran and closing its embassy in Tehran.

A recent New York Times report also claimed that Trump’s “Project Freedom” – which involved military escorts for Western-flagged ships through the effectively blockaded Strait of Hormuz – was quietly scrapped two days after it was launched because Saudi Arabia refused to provide logistical support.

Trump Puts “Project Freedom” On Hold

Since then, the US ruler has considered restarting the initiative.

Oil Jumps As Trump Says Mulling Restart Of Project Freedom, Which Could Mean New Hormuz Clashes With Iran

”From the perspective of the Gulf states, it looks like the US is not prioritizing their security and basically threw the Gulf states under the bus,” Dania Thafer, the director of the Gulf International Forum, told the Wall Street Journal, according to a report by RT.