US-allied Gulf States increasingly frustrated with Trump's Iran approach

 

(From L) TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chat after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7.

(photo credit: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS)

Due to growing frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of Iran, they may be considering exploring new arrangements, according to the report.

US-allied Gulf states are increasingly concerned that US President Donald Trump may not be able to secure peace with Iran through diplomatic channels, the Washington Post reported Saturday citing Arab and Western officials.

Three officials and one former US diplomat alleged to the Washington Post that the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain are united in their frustration with Trump. 

One Gulf state official stated that anger with the US has reached its highest point since the war with Iran began in February. “Trump started this war,” the official told the newspaper, “and we are paying the price.”

While Washington is a close security partner and arms supplier to Gulf nations, some governments in the region are reportedly beginning to question the utility of continuing to host US military bases within their territory