The U.S. strikes are coming one after another! The Gulf states have turned against the United States! Saudi Arabia just announced it would refuse U.S. use of its military bases to strike Iran, and surprisingly, Kuwait has now followed suit! On May 6, foreign media reported that Kuwait also prohibited the United States from using its military bases and rejected U.S. military aircraft flying over its airspace. Clearly, with U.S.-Iran negotiations at a standstill, the U.S. is seeking to resume military action against Iran—yet unexpectedly, both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have openly declared they will not cooperate.
What does this announcement from the Gulf states signify? It indicates that they fully understand: if they continue allowing the U.S. to use their territories as launching points for strikes against Iran, the ones who will suffer massive losses are themselves. More deeply, it reflects their complete lack of trust in the capabilities of U.S. forces. If the U.S. could swiftly force Iran to surrender, that might be acceptable. But these countries now clearly realize that the U.S. no longer possesses such capability. Supporting or aligning with the U.S. would only bring disaster upon themselves.
Now that this conflict has finally paused, nations across the board wish to avoid being drawn back into war. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait's sudden reversal directly punctures the illusion of America’s Middle East alliance. For decades, Gulf states have long relied on U.S. military protection—but now they’ve seen reality clearly: the U.S. simply can’t be trusted. With significant losses suffered by U.S. military bases in the Middle East, the U.S. may plan to rebuild them in the future to maintain its regional standing. However, given the U.S.’s underwhelming performance, Gulf states may now, deep down, refuse to allow the U.S. to return.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864504889105801/
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