Sputnik, in an analytical report, said that the recent joint U.S–Israeli war against Iran has strained relations with Gulf countries.
The report states that Gulf countries faced Iranian attacks without direct U.S. protection, as Washington prioritized its support for Israel. Despite spending billions on security arrangements, these countries are now reassessing their dependence on the United States.
A researcher at NUST, Bassem Reza, said this distrust is not new but the result of strategic shifts over the past decade.
He pointed to several factors behind this trend, one of the main claims is that the United States has prioritized Israel since the 1960s. He also noted that between 2019 and 2020, Washington did not protect its Gulf partners when Iran carried out attacks on their territory.
This situation, according to the report, pushed Saudi Arabia to begin discreet talks with Iran through Chinese mediation and to sign a security agreement with Pakistan.
During the 2026 conflict, Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates suffered major economic and strategic losses.
Bassem Reza warned that if the United States withdraws its military presence, as reportedly demanded by Tehran, Gulf countries would face an even more dangerous situation.
He concluded that such a move would have severe destabilizing consequences, leaving the Gulf exposed to the influence of two major regional powers, Israel and Iran, neither of which maintains friendly relations with Gulf countries.