President Trump is reportedly extorting the GCC states for trillions of dollars to support the war
News Desk - The Cradle
The Gulf states allegedly lobbied Washington against going to war, but still allowed the US to use their territory to launch attacks on Iran. Tehran responded by targeting Washington's allies with ballistic missiles and drones.
These nations have also suffered from the loss of oil and gas revenue, as exports have fallen drastically due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE has suffered additional losses as its tourist industry has collapsed and expatriate workers have fled.
As a result, "the attitude in Riyadh has shifted towards supporting the US war as a way to punish Iran for strikes," a western official told MEE.
As Washington moves thousands of troops to West Asia, Saudi Arabia has agreed to give the US military access to King Fahd Air Base in Taif, in Western Saudi Arabia, US and western officials familiar with the matter revealed.
MEE noted that the Gulf states are angered over the failure of the US to defend them from Iranian attacks, including the US' inability to replenish their Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are themselves becoming more closely aligned, after competing for control of southern Yemen via their respective proxy forces in the months before the war began.
Abdulaziz Alghashian, a Saudi security expert, told MEE that the kingdom and other Gulf states faced “a dilemma.” They prefer the war to end soon, but if it does, Iran may enjoy a dominant position in the region.
However, if they support the US war further, engaging in offensive operations, this carries the risk of future Iranian attacks, including on Gulf energy infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia is aware that launching offensive operations against Iran could "open up a can of worms," Alghasian said.
The MEE report comes amid claims that US President Donald Trump is demanding the Gulf states pay trillions of dollars to the US for fighting Iran.
US President Donald Trump is trying to extort Gulf allies for trillions of dollars to wage a war on Iran, allegedly on their behalf, according to an Omani journalist speaking to BBC Arabic on 20 March.
According to Omani journalist and international affairs researcher Salem Al-Jahouri, the White House is "putting pressure" on Gulf states to participate more broadly in the war against Iran.
"Today we are talking about certain leaks in which the American president is demanding that the GCC states pay approximately $5 trillion if they want this war to continue, and if they want it to stop, they must pay $2.5 trillion to the United States for what has been accomplished over the past period," Jahouri stated to BBC Arabic.
Amid the collapse in Gulf energy exports due to the Strait of Hormuz closure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the solution was for Arab Gulf monarchs to build new pipelines through the desert to Israel, which would allow Israel to take transit fees and give Israel veto power over their energy exports.
"Just have oil pipelines, gas pipelines, going west through the Arabian Peninsula, right up to Israel, right up to our Mediterranean ports, and you've just done away with the choke points forever," the prime minister stated.
"I see that as a real change that will follow this war, but I also see this war ending a lot faster than people think," he stressed.
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