Iran backlash forces Gulf allies toward Washington as regional tensions rise
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies are showing signs of a quiet but consequential shift in their posture toward Iran, as escalating attacks across the region test years of careful...
By Fox News · Fox News
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies are showing signs of a quiet but consequential shift in their posture toward Iran, as escalating attacks across the region test years of careful balancing between Washington and Tehran. For much of the past decade, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sought to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, maintaining diplomatic and economic ties even while relying on U.S. security guarantees. But that middle ground is increasingly under strain. That strategy was designed to keep Gulf states out of direct confrontation. But officials and analysts say Iran’s expanding attacks are narrowing the space for neutrality, pushing some Gulf states closer to Washington. One of the clearest signs of that shift is a reported move by Saudi Arabia to grant U.S. forces access to King Fahd Air Base in Taif, a western facility not used for American combat operations since the Gulf War era. The shift is also visible across the region. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has severed diplomatic ties with Tehran, shut down Iranian-linked institutions and launched a crackdown on networks tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following a wave of attacks. HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN'S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES 'INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT' Bahrain, meanwhile, led efforts at the United Nations to pass a Security Council resolution condemning Iranian strikes on Gulf states, while multiple countries — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait — have issued coordinated statements denouncing Iran’s actions and asserting their right to self-defense. These Gulf states are in line with the U.S. view that Iran's missile development, uranium enrichment programs and support for regional militant groups need to be "addressed and curtailed," but remain opposed to U.S. strikes on critical infrastructure inside Iran, a Gulf official told Fox News Digital. Qatar also has taken concrete steps in response to Iranian attacks, expe…