Gulf States Urges Trump: Finish Iran As Hormuz Crisis Threat Deepens

Gulf States Urges Trump: Finish Iran As Hormuz Crisis Threat Deepens

Gulf Arab states are pressing Donald Trump to go further in the war against Iran, warning that anything short of crippling Tehran’s military risks leaving the region permanently exposed to disruption and economic blackmail.

Diplomatic sources say Gulf leaders did not initially seek war — but after waves of Iranian missile and drone attacks on airports, oil facilities and cities, the calculation has shifted sharply.

‘No other way to classify them’

Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Centre, summed up the mood bluntly:

“At first we opposed the war. But once they began directing strikes at us, they became an enemy.”

Iran’s ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz — the artery carrying roughly a fifth of global oil — has crystallised fears that Tehran can hold the region’s economic lifeline hostage at will.

Washington pushes for regional backing

At the same time, U.S. officials are urging Gulf states to publicly back — and potentially join — the American-Israeli campaign, according to multiple Western and Arab diplomats.

The White House is seeking visible regional support to strengthen the war’s international legitimacy and shore up domestic backing as the conflict drags on.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said partners were already “stepping up,” though details remain unclear.

A region under fire

Iran has demonstrated its reach across all six Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman — striking critical infrastructure and commercial hubs.

For governments that have spent decades branding themselves as stable global trade and tourism hubs, the psychological and economic damage is already significant.

The fear now is simple: if Iran retains meaningful military capability, it can repeat the pressure whenever tensions rise.

Fear of wider war still dominates

Despite the hardening rhetoric, Gulf states remain deeply cautious about direct military involvement.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has yet to agree on a unified response, and no joint Arab summit has been convened.

A senior UAE official stressed the country “does not seek to be drawn into escalation,” reflecting a broader regional strategy of restraint.

Analysts say unilateral action is off the table — only a coordinated move would avoid exposing individual states to devastating retaliation.

Strategic dilemma: act or absorb the threat

Experts argue the Gulf now faces a stark choice: accept long-term vulnerability or risk being pulled into a wider war.

Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics described it as a balancing act between immediate security threats and the dangers of escalation.

Joining the war, he noted, may add little militarily given U.S. dominance — but would dramatically increase exposure to Iranian reprisals.

A new reality in the Gulf

For now, Iran’s leverage is clear. Control over Hormuz — even intermittently — represents a strategic shift that Gulf states view as unacceptable.

Bernard Haykel of Princeton University warned the implications could be long-lasting:

“Now that Iran has shown it can shut down Hormuz, the Gulf faces a fundamentally different threat.”

With global energy flows at stake — and much of that oil heading toward China and Asian markets — pressure is now growing for a broader international response.

For Gulf leaders, the message to Washington is increasingly clear: finish the job — or face a future where Iran holds the region, and much of the global economy, at its mercy.

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