The US has been accused of muddled thinking in its prosecution of the Iran war, but Gulf leaders may be sending confused messages too: calling for de-escalation in public while reportedly urging the White House in private to keep hammering Iran. Officials from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have told their US counterparts they want the conflict to continue until Tehran changes its behaviour, according to the Associated Press. If so, those same Gulf officials may welcome the recent arrival of the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division — a move that could presage an assault on Iranian territory.
At the same time, foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye met in Pakistan on Sunday in search of a diplomatic solution. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II then met in Jeddah yesterday, with official readouts focusing on efforts to “enhance regional security” and “joint Arab action” to deal with the war’s economic impact.
Keeping pace with Washington is difficult. Yesterday, US President Donald Trump again threatened Iran with the complete obliteration of its power and desalination plants if Tehran doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. But he also told aides he could end the war even if the strait remained closed, according to The Wall Street Journal.