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West Asia Desk
Gulf States Increasingly Frustrated with Trump Over Prolonged Iran War, Report Says
Sources: Washington Post August 15 original reporting (Gulf leaders' frustration, Trump started this war quote, five states critical of administration, pattern of threats then softening, discussions on US military presence); Anadolu via Pakistan Today August 16, Middle East Monitor August 16, Iran International August 15 (verification of Post reporting, Western diplomat necessity of evil quote, Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani pact as signal); Crypto Briefing August 15 (market pricing for blockade end declining to 18.5 percent by August 31, 78.2 percent by December 31); dnyuz, Political Wire August 15 (Trump repeatedly issued threats then withdrew them citing progress in talks, five governments united in aggravation). White House official quote via Washington Post, verified via multiple outlets.
Frustration with Washington is growing in the Persian Gulf region, where US allies are increasingly concerned that President Donald Trump is unable to manage the diplomacy necessary to secure peace with Iran, Arab and Western officials told The Washington Post in a report published Friday August 15. Trump started this war, and we are paying the price, a Gulf official told the Post on condition of anonymity, saying anger toward the US was at its highest point since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. After months of conflict and continuing missile and drone strikes by Iran and its proxies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain have grown increasingly critical of the Trump administration, the newspaper reported, citing Arab and Western officials. The Gulf states are particularly concerned by what they see as a pattern of Trump issuing threats against Iran before subsequently softening his position while citing progress in negotiations, while Washington and Tehran have yet to reach a final agreement to end the conflict. Some Gulf governments have reportedly begun discussing whether it remains in their interests to continue hosting major US military facilities on their territory, according to the report. A Western diplomat in the region cautioned that the developments did not amount to a significant shift in sentiment toward the US, saying American forces were not enthusiastically welcomed even before the war with Iran—it was more something that was a necessary evil. Now, the necessity of it is being put in question, the diplomat said. A White House official rejected the assessment, saying Trump has extraordinary relationships with all of our Gulf partners and that Washington has remained in regular contact with its regional allies since the conflict began. A senior European official described the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense pact signed last week as a signal to the US, according to the report, suggesting that in the opinion of