Gulf countries push for the destruction of Iranian military facilities

Nearly a full month after Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu began their war on Iran, Gulf countries have been the real victims. In retaliation against US attacks on Iran, the nation has been indiscriminately striking other ULF nations. Specifically, Iran has been targeting US military installations, oil infrastructure, and airports. Iran's attacks have been the greatest fear for the Gulf countries attacked, and now they are coming to Trump with requests. It seems as though multiple major energy hubs on the Gulf coast are not clamouring for the war to be finished sooner, but finished properly.

Gulf countries request destruction

As Donald Trump has ramped up ceasefire talks, Gulf countries are questioning what will be best for them. According to Saudi Arabia, it wants Tehran's missile and ballistic missile capabilities to be degraded completely. According to an official from the UAE, the United Arab Emirates believes it would be “difficult” for the region to continue to live with an Iranian missile and drone program. Donald Trump cited ending Iran's nuclear program as one of his reasons for attacking the country, so Saudi Arabia and the UAE's requests are in line with what Trump and Israel have expressed a desire for. Where conflict may arise is in the details of the ‘degrading'.

Trump vs America

Donald Trump's war on Iran has not raised his popularity among American voters. Trump ran on a campaign of ‘no new wars', and now he has started the largest conflict in the Middle East since the Iraq War. Gas prices have skyrocketed in the US, with some Americans paying 40% more at the pump than before the war. The price of Brent Crude is more than $100 a barrel, and gas prices in the US grew by at least 30% across the country. Trump needs a way out of this war. He has already succeeded in eliminating Ali Khamenei, damaging Iranian military installations, and reaffirming the US's willingness to conduct long-term foreign military operations.

Trump has flexed his muscles and proven his point; now, he needs to make a profit for Americans. If Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE manage to insert themselves into ceasefire negotiations, it could feasibly weaken Donald Trump's hand and shift the focus away from the US. There is also the added layer of Israel. Experts are convinced that it was Israel who convinced Donald Trump to engage with Iran, which means the war will not end until Israel is also satisfied. Israel's goal is the total destruction of Iran's military forces, government, and institutions.

The wrong victims

Iranian security officials recently revealed that the majority of the nation's firepower has been dedicated to attacking Gulf countries. The attacks on Arab states have baffled the leaders of the respective nations. Many Gulf nations actively lobbied against Donald Trump's attacks on Iran, imploring the leader to keep peace in the Middle East. Regional leaders across the Gulf insist that they have no role in the war; Iranian officials argue that their relationship with the US makes them an enemy. As the war progressed, Tehran accused several Gulf Arab states of allowing the US to use their territories to launch attacks on the Islamic Republic. Iran has also changed its demands since the beginning of the war. Iranian officials are now demanding complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, as well as war reparations and a change to the US's ally agreements with Gulf countries.

An enemy of the Gulf

Before the war, Iran's relationship with the Gulf nations was tenuous but reliable. Since Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf countries rely on the nation to aid and abet the transport of oil and natural gas. With Iran in opposition to Israel, and with a powerful military, it was also positioned to be a formidable ally for countries threatening the major energy hub that is the Persian Gulf. Instead, Iran has turned around and attacked nine different nations with which it previously had a positive relationship. Now, more than 100 people have been killed across nine nations, and Iran is viewed as public enemy number one according to Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center.

Cost of war

As of March 26^th, preliminary figures show harrowing victim counts across the Middle East. In Iran, more than 1,900 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes. US forces have struck more than 7,000 locations in Iran, and alongside the 1,937 killed, another 24,800 Iranians have been injured, and more than 3 million people have been displaced. A US strike targeting an all-girls elementary school killed 168 children. In Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, with another 3,100 injured and more than 1 million civilians displaced. Thirteen US servicemembers have been killed, and 19 people have been killed in Israel. Since February 28, 168 people have been killed by Iranian strikes across Gulf Countries.