The Gulf States are on edge on May 26 in the wake of renewed push by the US for a deal with Iran, as well as US strikes. The US said that it conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran overnight. It was the first major strike of this kind since the ceasefire.
The strikes were used to protect US troops from threats, US Central Command said. The US was observing Memorial Day on May 25 when the strikes took place overnight. At the same time, US President Donald Trump had been pressuring Saudi Arabia and other countries to join the Abraham Accords. The countries appear to be pushing back and saying they first want to see Israel work with the Palestinians.
“US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesman, said in a statement overnight. This is important and shows how many wheels are in motion in the region.
The tensions in the Gulf come as Israel is ramping up attacks on Hezbollah. Arab News in Saudi Arabia said, “US forces on Monday conducted strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.”
It noted that “the strikes came as Iran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said on Monday, after Washington and Tehran played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough.” Riyadh would prefer fewer tensions. Qatar is also working on mediation. Pakistan is as well.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago, in Saudi Arabia. (credit: BANDAR ALGALOUD/COURTESY OF SAUDI ROYAL COURT/REUTERS)
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in India, where, according to Arab News, he said the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed. He said there was “a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the Strait (of Hormuz), and enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter. Hopefully, we can pull it off.”
This comes amid reports that Iranian leaders are hiding underground and communicating by courier. “Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Tuesday that regional countries would no longer be shields for US bases, in a written statement carried by state television,” Arab News noted. “What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn backward, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases,” Khamenei said in a statement for the Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Iran retains missile threat
Iran continues to work on repairing its ballistic missile launch sites. Gulf News noted that intelligence assessments indicate it now has access to 30 of 33 sites near the Strait of Hormuz, enabling missiles to be moved from bunkers onto mobile launchers. “The latest confrontation highlighted what many military planners increasingly fear: That Iran still retains enough missile and naval capability to threaten US forces and commercial shipping despite nearly three months of US-Israeli attacks.”
The diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, affirmed that the UAE is capable of overcoming challenges with confidence and steadfastness. “Wars may impose circumstantial challenges, but the UAE was built on solid foundations that make it more capable of cohesion and overcoming them. Conscious leadership, strong institutions, a developed and competitive economy, and authentic values based on solidarity, tolerance, and justice,” he wrote on social media platform X. “The UAE’s success was not born of chance, but the fruit of a steadfast vision and sincere, continuous work over the years. The UAE is capable of overcoming challenges with confidence and steadfastness.”
Finally, Faisal J. Abbas, the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, noted that peace is possible with Israel but that the country “needs to embrace a two-state solution.” He wrote, in a piece that should be seen to reflect wider views in Saudi Arabia, that “the news about an imminent agreement between the US and Iran is certainly a welcome development. As mediators work to bridge the gaps between the American and Iranian positions, we need to remember that a negotiated outcome is by far the best possible solution for now, as it is the only one that gets us close to agreed-upon results.”
He noted that Qatar and Pakistan were working to bridge gaps towards a deal. “Meanwhile, regional sources tell Arab News that Saudi Arabia is urging both the Americans and the Iranians to pursue positive engagement. At the same time, Riyadh is highlighting the need for clear wording on security and freedom of navigation without new restrictions. Previous positions have made it clear that Saudi Arabia wants to see the Strait of Hormuz unconditionally.”