Not all attacks on Gulf states coming from Iran, prominent Saudi Arabian editor suggests
The editor-in-chief of Independent Arabia suggested in a television interview on Tuesday that not all attacks on the Gulf states may be coming from Iran, and that the US and Israel could lure them into the war, only to later abandon them.
Adhwan al-Ahmari, a Saudi journalist and political analyst, highlighted with Riyadh-based Asharq News the numerous unverified claims of false-flag attacks.
"Some believe this war is an American-Israeli trap to implicate the Gulf countries and draw them into a confrontation with Iran," Ahmari said.
"This hypothesis, I think, increases every day," he added, alluding to an erosion of trust between Washington and its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
"What if the US announces after a week, 10 days, or two weeks that it has achieved all its goals in this war and that the war is over and then leaves the Gulf states in an open confrontation?"
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Ahmari added that unless the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is dismantled, the killing of senior leaders and the destruction of nuclear and ballistic missile facilities will bring no substantial change to the region.
The IRGC is an elite military unit specifically designed to protect Iran's ruling structure. It is separate from Iran's conventional military.
"Killing the Iranian supreme leader without eliminating the IRGC is worthless. Dismantling the nuclear programme without eliminating the IRGC is worthless. The IRGC will come back stronger; it will rebuild its capabilities."
For that reason, he added, the US must explain to its allies in the Gulf exactly what its motives are for the war on Iran and how long it will take.
US President Donald Trump initially indicated a four- to five-day period. That has since turned into an expectation of four to five weeks. On Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth suggested it was open-ended.
"It is the strangest military campaign in history," Ahmari said.
Thus far, the Trump administration's rationale for going to war and putting American lives at risk has been muddled, leaving not only regional partners in the dark but also members of Congress.
Ahmari called Iran's attacks on the Gulf nations hosting US military facilities "suicidal behaviour", because it is far weaker than the Iran of a decade ago, he said, citing the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022 and the severe economic crisis of last year.
That financial squeeze was notably spurred on by ramped-up US sanctions and a US-backed bank collapse.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
.jpg.webp?itok=bbrNKyt7)
