Middle East
Will Gulf states turn to Israel for protection from Iran?
Threats from Tehran and regional uncertainty are reshaping regional security, but not all Gulf states are moving in the same direction
May 01, 2026
Threats from Tehran and regional uncertainty are reshaping regional security, but not all Gulf states are moving in the same direction
The Iran war is certainly exposing a lot of long festering wounds, with this rupture certainly stunning Wall Street today
Many of them use their access to Washington to work for authoritarian states that want to influence our foreign policy
Muscat is the only Gulf capital that has remained friendly with Tehran throughout the war. There is a reason for that, and why those relations will persist.
They may not have the ability to stop the Iran war, but leaders from Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, meeting in Islamabad, are going to try
GCC countries have taken the brunt of the Iranian response, but they've remained on the sidelines — for now
