Gulf Leaders Didn’t Want the Iran War. They Need Trump to Win It Anyway.

Council on Foreign Relations ^ | March 26, 2026

[MinorityRepublican]

Throughout four weeks of war, Iran has continued to make the United States’ Gulf partners pay a price for Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion.

The Iranians have fired thousands of missiles and dronesat their neighbors, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) bearing the brunt of the assault. There is also significant damage to energy infrastructure in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

From the first days of the conflict, part of the Islamic Republic’s strategy was immediately clear: inflict significant pain on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia so that they would in turn pressure the United States (and by extension, Israel) to end the hostilities.

It was a miscalculation. Gulf leaders did not want the war and have privately expressed frustration with the United States and Israel for causing chaos in the region, but they have not pressured President Donald Trump to stop the U.S. attacks. Instead, Saudis, Emiratis, Qataris, and others have closed ranks with each other, signaled that they have a considerable stake in the war’s outcome, and counseled the Trump administration not to end military operations prematurely.

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TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: bahrain; cfr; hormuz; iran; israel; kuwait; operationepicfury; operationroaringlion; qatar; saudiarabia; uae; unitedarabemirates; waronterror

[StormEye]

"... expressed frustration with the United States and Israel for causing chaos in the region,..."

And just what do the the Gulf states think all of their
muslim fanatics having been doing in the region
and around the world for the last 70 or so years????

[TigersEye]

I wouldn’t take the Council of Foreign Relation’s word on what the Gulf states think.

One thing is certain without even asking the Gulf states, they sure as Hades don’t want to live under the threat of a nuclear armed Iran.

[Georgia Girl 2]

The Council on Foreign Relations? Seriously? 🙄

[jcon40]

AI Overview. ON THE SOON TO BE IRRELEVANT
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is frequently described as an “elitist” organization because it serves as a nonpartisan, high-level networking hub for a select group of government officials, corporate executives, academics, and media figures who influence U.S. foreign policy. Critics often point to its membership and influence to argue that it promotes a “consensus” favoring globalism, economic neoliberalism, and interventionist foreign policies over national interests.
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