Hegseth says Gulf states 'going on offensive' against Iran
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that Gulf countries are “going on the offensive” as he argued that the US’s war on Iran is going in Washington’s favour.
“The only thing that is widening is our advantage. Not to mention our Gulf allies stepping up even more now, going on the offence,” Hegseth said at a press conference on Friday.
The US’s Gulf allies have not said they are joining the US war on Iran, and Hegseth’s remarks have already raised eyebrows.
For example, on Friday, he also said that the Strait of Hormuz was “open for transit” except for the fact that Iran was shooting at vessels.
The Gulf states lobbied US President Donald Trump against attacking Iran, out of fear that they would be in the Islamic Republic’s crosshairs. Iranian strikes have already hit Doha, Dubai, and Manama, but those strikes could escalate significantly if Iran chooses to do so.
This week, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council condemning Iran’s attack on the region.
“Iran's international isolation is not a slogan but a reality,” Anwar Gargash, UAE diplomatic adviser, wrote on X after the vote.
While the Gulf states have lashed out at Iran for attacking them despite their efforts to prevent a war, they are also angry at the US for brushing aside their security concerns, Middle East Eye has reported.
The US has been unable to address all the requests from Gulf states to replenish precious air defence interceptors. Many regional analysts have also said the US’s military bases in the Gulf - broadly established after the 1991 Gulf War - have made their countries targets for Iran.
Consequences of attacks in Gulf
The US’s role as security guarantor of the region has been rocked by Iran’s unprecedented closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries about 20 percent of the world’s crude oil and natural gas.”
Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have all had to slash production and, in some cases, declare force majeure as a result of Iranian attacks. At least six commercial vessels were attacked in the Gulf this week.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Gulf states have collectively lost an estimated $15.1bn in energy revenues since the start of the US and Israeli war on Iran, according to data provided by commodities analytics firm Kpler.
Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Kuwait have been some of the hardest hit, but Saudi Arabia has also been attacked.
Hegseth’s claim could make the Gulf states more of a target, as Iran has said it will forcefully respond against Gulf states that join the US-Israeli war.
While Iran’s strikes have hit commercial buildings in the Gulf, in general, it has shown a sophisticated ability to hit US military bases and energy infrastructure.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
Read Full Article on Middle East Eye →