DID Press: Arab and Western officials say dissatisfaction with Washington is growing among U.S. allies in the Gulf, with the leaders of these countries concerned that Donald Trump may be unable to manage the diplomacy needed to achieve peace with Iran.
According to The Washington Post, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain have expressed concern over the Trump administration’s approach to the war and tensions with Iran. Some countries have even discussed whether to continue hosting major U.S. military bases on their territory.
A Gulf official said: “Trump started this war, and we are paying the price.”
Officials from these countries are voicing dissatisfaction with Washington’s policies while continuing to regard the United States as their main security partner and a major supplier of weapons.
A senior European official also described the recent defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan as “a message to the United States,” saying the three powerful Sunni Muslim countries are seeking to diversify their security and defense partnerships because, “in their view, the United States is not enough.”
Firas Maksad, an analyst at the Eurasia Group, said U.S. allies in the Gulf feel they have become trapped in an “unnecessary” war that Trump is now struggling to bring to an end.
Anna Jacobs, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, also pointed to a “decline in trust” in the United States, saying Washington’s allies believe U.S. actions in the region are making them “less secure.”
The White House, however, continues to insist that Trump has “excellent relations with all of America’s Gulf partners.”