US-allied Gulf states are increasingly concerned that US President Donald Trump may not be able to secure peace with Iran through diplomatic channels, the Washington Post reported Saturday citing Arab and Western officials.
Three officials and one former US diplomat alleged to the Washington Post that the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain are united in their frustration with Trump.
One Gulf state official stated that anger with the US has reached its highest point since the war with Iran began in February. “Trump started this war,” the official told the newspaper, “and we are paying the price.”
While Washington is a close security partner and arms supplier to Gulf nations, some governments in the region are reportedly beginning to question the utility of continuing to host US military bases within their territory.
Due to growing frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of Iran, they may be considering exploring new arrangements, according to the report.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan entered into NATO-like alliance
One European official pointed to the recently signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan as “a signal to the US” that some states in the region “are trying to diversify their security and defense partnerships.”
“In their mind, the US is not enough,” the official noted to the Washington Post.
One Western diplomat familiar with the region disputed that sentiment toward the US has shifted significantly, saying US military forces were not enthusiastically welcomed to the area before the war began.
“It was more something that was a necessary evil,” the diplomat told the Washington Post. “Now, the necessity of it is being put in question.”
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan entered into the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in early August, after months of attacks by Iran against Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The agreement stipulates that all three countries will treat an attack on one of them as an attack on all, similar to NATO's Article 5 demanding collective defense of the alliance.
Trump praised the joint defense treaty in a post to Truth Social on Sunday afternoon, calling it a “big, bold, and important first step.”
Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” Trump wrote.
“It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way,” he added.