Chicago – March 26, 2026
Before the Iran war, US President Donald Trump’s Gulf Arab allies lobbied hard against strikes, fearing the attacks Tehran is now unleashing on them. As the war drags on, they fear a quick exit could leave them worse off than before it began.
Over the past week, as momentum toward negotiations to end the warhas grown, Gulf Arab officials have stated openly that Iran’s military capabilities, used to punish them for the US and Israel’s actions, cannot remain intact in any future regional order. While the perceived nuclear threat still looms, they see Iran’s missiles as a more urgent risk.
Saudi Arabia wants Tehran’s cruise and ballistic missile capabilities degraded “as much as possible,” before the war ends, a regional official familiar with the Saudi position told CNN, while the United Arab Emirates believes it would be “difficult” for the region to continue to live with an Iranian missile and drone program, according to same official..
