The patience of the Arab allies of the United States regarding their strategy on Iran has run out. This is reported by The Washington Post.
According to the newspaper, the main reason is the inconsistency of Donald Trump: he threatens Iran, and then retracts his words, citing progress in negotiations, which eventually reach an impasse again.
A representative of one of the Persian Gulf countries in an interview with WP said:
"Trump started this war, and we are paying for it."
The allies believe that the conflict that the US and Israel started now directly threatens their security and economy, while Washington hesitates between escalation and attempts to make a deal.
We are talking about five key allies: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Some of these countries have begun to discuss the feasibility of further deploying large American military bases on their territory (especially in Qatar and Bahrain). This is an alarming signal for Washington, as we are talking about a review of the entire American military presence in the region, the newspaper notes.
As previously reported, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan has signed a mutual defense agreement, which European officials called a "signal to the United States." This shows that the Sunni states are trying to diversify their security partnerships, believing that the United States alone is not enough.
Since the first days of the war, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which has hit the economies of the Gulf countries.
Saudi Arabia is particularly affected by attacks from Iran and the Yemeni Houthis, who are also trying to block the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, another key route for oil exports.
According to experts, despite all this, the Gulf countries do not yet have a real alternative to an alliance with the United States in the field of security, so a break in relations is not expected in the near future. However, the very fact that this issue has begun to be discussed openly indicates a deep crisis of trust. Analysts call Trump's policy in the region "chaotic" and "unpredictable."