NYT: Persian Gulf Arab States Seek New Security Arrangements as US Guarantees Falter

The New York Times has reported that Arab countries that have realized they are not a priority for the United States are seeking a new security umbrella.

ABNA24 -The recent regional war, which began with US and Israeli aggression against Iran in late February and had far-reaching consequences for not only the region but the entire world following Iran’s forceful response, has prompted the Persian Gulf states to recognize major gaps and shortcomings in their security system, which was based largely on reliance on the United States.

In this context, Arab sources reported that over the past several months, some Persian Gulf countries have begun considering new arrangements to protect their security and are seeking to open channels for direct dialogue with Iran on issues including navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US newspaper The New York Times reported in this regard that the Persian Gulf states have long relied on US security guarantees, but more than six months of repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks have clearly exposed the shortcomings of those guarantees.

The New York Times added that some US bases in the Persian Gulf countries have been almost completely destroyed in Iranian attacks, while energy infrastructure in these countries, including Saudi Arabia, has also sustained heavy damage. Against this backdrop, officials in the Persian Gulf states are now seeking alternative ways to protect their security, including turning to direct diplomacy with Iran.

The US newspaper, quoting analysts, wrote that regional leaders have no choice but to seek alternative security arrangements, as the US-Israeli war with Iran exposed the vulnerabilities of the Persian Gulf states and further increased Iran’s influence.

Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, told The New York Times about the situation facing the regional countries: “We are stuck at a point where, while preserving part of the past, we are trying to build something new. We need to break free from this obsession with external protection.”

The report goes on to say that the war has inflicted heavy losses on the United States and its regional allies, and that Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz represents a major strategic setback and an economic blow to energy exporters in the Persian Gulf states.

The New York Times stated that the inability of the US military to repel Iranian attacks represents another strategic failure that could have serious consequences for the Persian Gulf states and the ability of the United States to project power.

The US media outlet added that, nevertheless, Bahrain and other Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, have no single, unified alternative to serve as a guarantor of their security.

The report further stressed that the Persian Gulf states have spent billions of dollars on advanced weapons, but their militaries are smaller and weaker than Iran’s, while China and Russia, despite their close relations with the Persian Gulf states, did not come to their aid.