President Donald Trump announced Project Freedom Sunday, a military initiative to escort ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz — but it turned out to have a short shelf life. Trump paused the operation Thursday when it became clear that allies in the region were not happy with Project Freedom, about which at least some of them reportedly were not consulted.

Saudi Arabia, for example, responded by denying the United States crucial airspace, thus forcing Trump’s hand after a call between the leaders of both countries resolved nothing. Saudi leadership were reportedly caught off guard by Trump’s Sunday announcement about Project Freedom.

According to NBC, the Qataris were also not informed; Trump spoke to Qatari leaders only after the initiative had been implemented.

Asked by NBC if the Saudis were surprised by the announcement, a Saudi source said, “The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time.” The source added that Saudi Arabia’s position was to push for a diplomatic solution to end the war.

The purpose of the pause is ostensibly to give the U.S and Iran a chance to finalize a deal.

A White House official denied in a statement that Gulf allies were taken by surprise, saying, “Regional allies were notified in advance.”

Regional allies, however, had a different take. An Omani official said that Oman had not been notified in advance, but he said the Omanis were not angry about it. “The U.S. made an announcement and then coordinated with us,” he said. “We were not upset or angry.”

Trump hit pause on the project less than two days after it had begun, announcing the pause in a Truth Social post.

“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran,” he wrote, “we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”

Only two ships made it through the strait before Project Freedom ended, while hundreds had allegedly lined up in anticipation of crossing the vital waterway.