The Gulf Arabs are now turning to Ukraine and other European countries for help against Iran as they are now questioning the reliability of America’s security umbrella. As we read in the New York Times:
It took only a few days of Iranian attacks before the Persian Gulf states, which have long relied on American security guarantees, decided they needed more help.
Despite the presence of major U.S. bases, or because of them, Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones at the Gulf. And the costly American-made interceptors these nations relied on were in short supply globally.
So Saudi Arabia reached out to Ukraine, a nation with experience fending off Russian drones modeled on Iranian ones. The United Arab Emirates got help from France and Australia. And several Gulf governments asked Italy to provide anti-drone and antiaircraft systems.
The Gulf’s authoritarian leaders, close American allies, have long questioned the value of their American security guarantees. Now, they are in the cross hairs of a regional war that their ally, the United States, started. And complaints about the limited value of American protection are growing louder.
“The Gulf countries are expressing very strong concerns about the evolution of the crisis and have expressed the need to urgently strengthen their defense capabilities,” Italy’s defense minister, Guido Crosetto, told lawmakers in his country last week.
The foreign minister of Oman, Badr al-Busaidi, told local journalists last week that it was time for the Gulf countries to reconsider their defense strategies, pointing to a growing debate in the region, Oman Daily newspaper reported.
Ukraine right now has the most battle-hardened military in all of Europe. Right now, Ukrainian soldiers would defeat American soldiers. If you can’t believe this, read about the most recent Hedgehog Military training session in Estonia in 2025. During a mock battle, there were several NATO battalions versus a 100 man enemy unit consisting of Estonians and just ten Ukrainian drone operators. Within a single day, the 100 man unit was able to mock-wipe out two NATO battalions and mock-destroy 17 armored vehicles. As was reported by the Wall Street Journal, participants in the exercise described the results as “horrible” for NATO forces, with one bloc commander reportedly concluding, “We are f***ed.”
So of course the Gulf Arabs are going to request help from the Ukrainians. But the bottom line is that the Gulf states are questioning their reliance on the Americans, especially when they see Iran shipping its oil through the Strait of Hormuz while the Gulf oil is being halted, as we read in the Times:
For officials in the United Arab Emirates, the fact that Iran is still able to use the strait to ship its oil while Arab Gulf countries are unable to use it safely because of Iranian attacks is a huge concern, said Nadim Koteich, an Emirati-Lebanese commentator who is close to the government.
Dissidents from the Gulf countries have long condemned the way their region’s royal families have entwined their interests with the United States.
While the Gulf Arabs’ depleting stockpiles has been obscured, Qatar recently asked the US for more interceptors, as the Times reported:
But in the days after the war began, the Gulf countries quickly began to face the reality of dwindling stockpiles of the interceptors to thwart missile and drone attacks.
Qatar asked if the United States could send more, according to two people briefed on the request. The Qatari government did not respond to a request for comment.
The elites of these countries are rightfully upset with the US for dragging the Gulf states
But since the war began, pro-government businessmen and even some officials inside the Gulf countries have also begun to raise questions about the value of their ties to the United States. “President Donald Trump, a direct question: Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran?” Khalaf al-Habtoor, an Emirati billionaire, wrote on social media earlier this month. “Did you consider the collateral damage before pulling the trigger? Did you not think that the countries of the region would be the first to suffer from this escalation?”
The Gulf State’s reliance on America and Israel is costing them tremendously and will continue to do so. The Iran war is exposing the limits of the American empire, and thus the weakness of the Gulf Arabs due to their reliance on this very limited empire. Because the Gulf Arabs are are in cahoots with Israel, the rage of the Islamic world is against them, especially after they did not help the Gazans as they were being butchered by Israel. Iran is being praised for pounding Israel, and Turkey is preparing for a war against Israel. The future of the Islamic world is one revolving around the Turko-Iranian axis. Thus, this war is energizing Iran and Turkey and will be to the demise of the Gulf Arabs.