As the United States continues its daily attacks on Iran, Arab nations facing Tehran’s retaliatory attacks are trying to unite to chart a path to peace. Long-standing tensions get in the way.
In recent weeks, prime ministers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabiahe took a pictureshow that their countries are compatible; Jordan and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have held meetingsat the State Departmentand on Capitol Hill; and GCC has provided a stream ofjoint statementscondemning Iran’s attacks.
But while these countries share a common goal of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, their differing priorities in getting there make progress difficult, according to interviews with Arab diplomats, current and former US officials and others familiar with regional developments.
That includes a series of conflicting interests based on who has alternative waterways, whose infrastructure is more trapped than Iran’s, and whose economy is hemorrhaging more in times of crisis.
“They are working together to visit Congress and the State Department, to coordinate their mission,” said one Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “But they’re not on the same page.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – was founded in 1981 in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq war and was already at odds leading up to the current conflict. The Iran war brings them to the fore.
“They have a lot of catching up to do and the war has exacerbated the divisions that exist in the Gulf,” said David Schenker, who handled Middle East issues at the State Department in the first Trump administration.
One of the most visible signs of internal rifts in recent months came when the UAE withdrew from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in April.at least in part related to the division over the Iran war. A diplomat from an Arab country outside the Gulf, who did not want to be named to describe the behind-the-scenes tension, argued that the UAE’s withdrawal “really angered other countries, especially Saudi Arabia. The Gulf will not be what it was before.”
“GCC is not working,” the man said.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE did not respond to questions about their relationship or the GCC.
Divisions in Iran’s neighborhood make finding any kind of diplomatic solution to the war, or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, more difficult. Some want to go hard against Iran, while others want to prioritize opening the strait.
“I don’t think they can bring the war to an end, but they can be more productive in controlling the outcome of the war,” said Allison Minor, who served as director of Yemen and Oman at the National Security Council in the first Trump administration. He said Gulf countries could work with European countries to monitor the Strait of Hormuz, helping to persuade Beijing to quietly use its power to pressure Iran to open the waterway.
A new US bombing campaign in the past two weeks adds to the urgency for the Gulf states to find a way to work together. Iran has retaliated by attacking Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and its ownHouthi lawyers in Yemenhave attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. By Friday, the unionled by Saudi Arabia said it attacked the areasbelonging to the Houthis in response.
A strong and united GCC would be better able to put out incoming fire together, and possibly gain more leverage in future ceasefire talks, said retired Navy Vice Adm. John “Fozzie” Miller, who previously commanded the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
“What they see is the need for this to be resolved in a way that doesn’t leave them holding the bag,” Miller said.
When asked about the strength of the Gulf Cooperation Council, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said, “The United States maintains excellent relations with all the GCC countries, and President (Donald) Trump has built strong partnerships with each of their leaders.”
Bahrain said in a statement, “The security of the GCC states is indivisible – a threat to one is a threat to all. That common understanding is the basis of our coordination.”
The GCC and other member states did not respond to questions. Jordan also did not respond to a request for comment.
The attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran at the end of February shocked the Arab states in the Persian Gulf, but Iran’s retaliatory attacks seemed to divide the union instead of uniting it.
“The Omanis were the ones who received Iran the most. The Qataris somewhat decreased but they are still involved in mediation. The UAE was more prepared to get involved through muscle. Saudi was in the middle,” said former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney.
Oman previously appeared to be negotiating a tariff deal with Iran in the pipeline, which Trump closed in May. “Oman will act like everyone else, or we will have to bomb them,” he saidhe told reporters.
On the other hand, both UAE and Saudi Arabiait is said to have launched airstrikesand drone strikes against Iran, and the UAE was said to havedoubled in its protective relationshipwith Israel.
The different priorities of the Gulf countries are due in part to their different vulnerabilities. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman can pass through the Strait of Hormuz to transport their oil and gas. Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain could not.
A senior Republican aide attended a recent House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable with the Gulf states and Jordan. The aide, who did not want to be named to describe the off-the-record meeting, said all countries are concerned about being targeted by Iran and are asking for more weapons.
But, “some were more on the same page with the US message than others,” the aide said.
Disagreements about the war have emerged in a very painful historical context. At the end of last year, Saudi Arabiaattack Yemenafter the shipment of weapons from the UAE arrived in the country. The two opponents are also thereopposing sides of the conflictin Sudan. And it is in the last few years that Saudi Arabia and the UAEended the blockof Qatar.
The agreement signed by the US and Iran on June 15 seemed to bring regional countries together in a new way, according to Ratney. “At some point, they all just wanted the oil and gas to move, after concluding that the various objectives of the war would not be achieved,” he said.
But now, as the region moves toward all-out war, mistrust remains high, Minor said.
“Each country is afraid that another country is sending money to Tehran so that it does not attack them, and that it may come at the expense of their neighbors,” he said. Reutersit was reported in Junethat the UAE planned to give billions of dollars to Iran. Abu Dhabi denied.
And like Qatarfloated a ceasefireto cool the air, Kuwait and Bahrainreportedly hitting targetsin Iran. “There is no unity in the GCC. The best you can hope for is coordination,” said Nate Swanson, who negotiated with Iran on behalf of the Biden and Trump administrations.
Further complicating the picture is the division in the United States over how to interact with countries in the region, according to Matthew Kroenig, who advised the Pentagon on international defense strategy in the first Trump administration.
“The White House itself values relations with the Gulf including Saudi, UAE. They were proud of the Abraham Accords and criticized the Biden administration for being too tough against the Saudis,” he said. On the other hand, the Pentagon was against entering into eternal war. In their logic, “cutting our losses and letting the countries in the region deal with it will not be a bad outcome.”
The Pentagon called the behavior “false,” while the White House said the government was “on track” to implement Trump’s decisions.
If the Gulf states are able to unite, it will largely be to prevent one-by-one takeovers by Iran — but there may also be a sense of disillusionment with the Trump administration, said Douglas Silliman, who served as the US ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait.
“There is a growing understanding that they need to collaborate more than they used to,” he said. “Everybody is confused. I’m starting to hear the anger against America”
At least, the Gulf countries are clamoring for a seat at the table. After the GCC welcomed Secretary of State Marco Rubio in acouncil meeting in Bahrain in June,Secretary General of the Gulf Council Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi emphasized this.
“During the meeting, it was emphasized that any future agreements or plans must include the needs of the GCC countries to protect their interests,” Albudaiwi said. His comments did not appear onState Department Summaryof the meeting.
The Gulf States are also trying to build new infrastructure to deal with the new reality where the Strait of Hormuz is not reliably open. The UAE isbuild a new pipelineto the Indian Ocean port city of Fujairah. Kuwait’s state-owned KPC is in talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE toto transfer its crude oil and oilthrough their pipes.
But any of these new projects will face Iranian fire if the war does not end. The Houthi attack on Saudi oil tankers on Thursday called into question an underground pipeline that Riyadh already uses to divert oil from the Strait of Hormuz.
There is no end ahead. White House spokesman Wales said, “This vicious cycle will continue until the president sees fit.”
Nahal Toosi contributed to this report.
