The Washington Post published an exclusive report on August 15, 2026, local time,

“Multiple anonymous officials from Arab and Western countries—including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar—have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Trump’s handling of the U.S.-Iran war.”

A Gulf state official complained: “Trump started this war, but it’s us who are paying the price.”

This complaint precisely hits the core pain point for Gulf states in the U.S.-Iran conflict—the United States launches wars without bearing the consequences, while Gulf nations are forced to endure a triple burden of military retaliation, economic collapse, and security breakdown. At its root, this reflects the accelerating erosion of America’s credibility in its Middle East security commitments. Gulf states have shifted from “relying on the U.S.” to “seeking alternatives,” and the U.S. alliance system in the Middle East is now facing structural instability.

Background and Facts

On August 15, 2026, The Washington Post exclusively revealed that multiple Arab and Western officials disclosed that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain—all Gulf states—were “unitedly frustrated” by Trump’s approach to the U.S.-Iran war. One Gulf official stated plainly: “Trump started this war, and we’re the ones paying the price.” The report noted that anger toward the U.S. in the region has reached its highest level since the joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran in February 2026. Some Gulf states have already begun discussing whether it remains necessary to continue allowing the U.S. to deploy large-scale military facilities on their soil. A Western diplomat observed: “The U.S. military presence in the Gulf used to be seen as a ‘necessary evil’—now even that ‘necessity’ is being questioned.”

Experts at the Washington-based Gulf States Institute pointed out that since the outbreak of the war, trust in the U.S. among Gulf states has declined significantly, with many viewing American actions in the region as making them “less secure, not more secure.”

Gulf states have provided military bases, air corridors, and logistical support—but in return received Iranian retaliatory strikes and economic paralysis. Not only has the U.S. failed to compensate, it has also demanded that Gulf nations share war costs and pay strait passage fees. This “make you work, make you pay, and don’t protect you” model has become unacceptable to Gulf states.

Analytical assessments conclude that the U.S.-Israel-Iran war stands as a classic example of America squandering its credibility. Trump administration’s promises to overseas allies are “as unreliable as its commitments to New York bankers.”

Future Outlook

In the short term, Gulf states will not break completely with the U.S.—they still depend on American military equipment, ammunition, and intelligence support, and this security dependency cannot be replaced overnight. But in the medium to long term, the trend is already clear:

Gulf states will accelerate diversification of their security partnerships—Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan defense alliance is just the beginning.

The size of U.S. military deployments in the Gulf may gradually shrink, and some countries might refuse to renew base agreements.

Relations between Gulf states and Iran are likely to show signs of easing, no longer following U.S. lead blindly.

As described by Dr. Sileman, director of the Gulf States Institute, the current Gulf region is filled with “a strange contradiction: angry at the U.S. for starting the war, yet still dependent on it for weapons, ammunition, and intelligence.” But when allies begin preparing for a regional order without the U.S., America’s position in the Middle East has reached a true turning point.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873692361822474/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.