The United States’ Gulf allies, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have reportedly urged US President Donald Trump to continue military action against Iran, arguing that Tehran has not been sufficiently weakened by the monthlong US-led bombing campaign, according to American, Gulf, and Israeli officials.Click here for live updatesThis development represents a stark reversal in the stance of Middle Eastern states. At the outset of the conflict, they privately criticised the lack of advance notice for the US-Israeli strikes and warned that the war could have “catastrophic consequences” across the region. Now, they are pressing the White House to seize what they see as a “historic opportunity” to dismantle Tehran’s clerical regime “once and for all.”
“Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain have conveyed that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in Iranian leadership or a dramatic shift in Iran’s behaviour,” one official told the AP.The push from the Gulf nations comes as Trump alternates between suggesting that the Islamic Republic’s “weakened” leadership is ready for a settlement and threatening to further escalate the conflict if a deal is not reached swiftly.Also Read: Willing to end war without re-opening Hormuz, Donald Trump tells aides as Iran refuses to budgeSeveral Middle Eastern countries host US forces and bases used for strikes on Iran, but they have not taken part in the attacks. In retaliation for the February 28 strikes, Iran has targeted these US bases and also hit Israeli territory.Which Gulf ally stands where in war supportWhile regional leaders are now generally supportive of Washington’s efforts, divisions remain, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading calls to increase military pressure on Tehran.According to Gulf diplomat, the UAE has emerged as perhaps the “most hawkish” of the Gulf states. The UAE, which claims to have faced more than 2,300 missile and drone attacks from Iran, is pushing for a ground invasion, the diplomat added. Kuwait and Bahrain are also reported to back such a move.Oman and Qatar, historically intermediaries between Iran and the West, continue to advocate for a diplomatic solution.Also Read: Trump shares video of massive explosions in Iran’s Isfahan following US-Israeli strikes; bunker-busters used?Saudi Arabia has told the US that ending the war now would not produce a “good deal” that guarantees security for Iran’s Arab neighbors. Riyadh is demanding that any eventual settlement neutralize Iran’s nuclear programme, destroy its ballistic missile capabilities, end support for proxy groups, and prevent the Islamic Republic from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, as it has during the current crisis. About 20% of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.Senior Emirati officials have also taken a sharper tone toward Iran. Noura Al Kaabi, a UAE minister of state, wrote in a column for the state-linked English-language newspaper The National: “An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape. We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader, has told officials in the Trump administration that further weakening Iran’s military capabilities and its clerical leadership would serve the long‑term interests of the Gulf region and beyond, according to a person briefed on those conversations.Will Gulf allies join the fight?Trump has not called on Middle Eastern nations to join offensive operations.One possible reason is that the administration may have judged it too complicated to add more militaries into the skies alongside Israel. Early in the conflict, friendly fire downed three American F-15E Strike Eagles during an Iranian air assault, though all six crew members ejected safely. On March 12, six American service members were killed when a KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.
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Another factor is that only the UAE and Bahrain among the Gulf states have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, complicating any potential coordination.Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to target its neighbours’ critical infrastructure, including desalination plants, if the US strikes Iranian power plants to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by April 6. Last week, Trump walked back on a 48-hour “ultimatum” for Tehran to reopen the waterway, then later extended it by 10 days.
