President Trump is set to meet with officials from the Persian Gulf on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, as the Iran war and the conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia roil the region with little sign of an imminent resolution.
The talks in New York will take place as Gulf Arab leaders have become increasingly anxious about the escalating conflicts and Washington’s commitment to their collective defense.
Since the war between the United States and Iran began more than six months ago, several Gulf Arab countries that host U.S. forces have borne the brunt of Tehran’s retaliation. Iranian missiles and drone attacks have battered U.S. military sites and critical infrastructure across the region, including a U.S. naval base in Bahrain. Gulf Arab countries had long seen the presence of U.S. troops as a way to deter attacks, but the Iranian strikes have forced those states to reassess their positions.
At the same time, Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has hit Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates especially hard, choking off the primary shipping route for their energy exports and putting pressure on their economies. Saudi Arabia was forced to divert its exports to an alternative route through the Red Sea.
Several Gulf Arab leaders have fostered personal and business connections with Mr. Trump’s family. In May, Mr. Trump said he had called off a major strike on Iran after Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Qatar appealed to him directly, believing a deal with Tehran was within reach.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly made claims of such a deal, but no agreement has materialized.
The meeting in New York between Mr. Trump and the Gulf officials comes as a second front has opened in Yemen. Houthi forces have repeatedly clashed with Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies in recent weeks, including by striking Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with missiles and drones on Saturday. The Houthis have also captured territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a waterway in the Red Sea that Saudi Arabia has used to export oil after the Strait of Hormuz was blocked.
Saudi Arabia has sought to convince the United States to intervene militarily against the Houthis, but Mr. Trump has refused to do so.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, an organization of Gulf Arab monarchies, has separately accused Iran of attacking Saudi, Qatari and Emirati tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and has demanded unconditional freedom of navigation through the waterway.
Since the war with Iran exposed their dependency on the United States, Gulf Arab states have begun exploring alternatives, including outreach to Tehran and a defense arrangement involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
The Emirates has signaled interest in “turning the page” with Iran, a senior Emirati official said at a conference in Dubai last week. But he cautioned that rebuilding trust could take decades.
Gregory Gause, a Gulf expert and associate fellow at the Middle East Institute, a research group, said the priority for regional officials would be pressing Mr. Trump on his plans for the Iran war.
“They are undoubtedly worried about the longer term commitment of the U.S. to their security but the immediate issue of securing their energy exports will be top of mind,” Mr. Gause said.
