Gulf Arab states have called on the United States to "ultimately neutralize" the Iranian threat to prevent it from endangering the Gulf oil market and the economies that depend on it, three sources told Reuters.
At the same time, these sources and five Western and Arab diplomats say that Washington is pressuring Gulf states to join the US-Israeli war.
“There is a broad feeling across the Persian Gulf that Iran has crossed every red line with every Gulf country,” says Abdulaziz Sagher, president of the Saudi Arabia-based Gulf Research Center.
"At first we defended them and opposed the war. But as soon as they started hitting us, they became enemies. There is no other way to classify them," he stressed.
The attacks have reinforced Gulf fears that leaving Iran with any significant offensive arsenal or weapons-making capabilities could encourage it to hold the region's energy lifeline hostage whenever tensions rise.
As the war enters its third week, with US and Israeli airstrikes intensifying and Iran targeting US bases and civilian targets across the Gulf, one source reveals that the prevailing mood among the leaders was unmistakable: that Trump must completely degrade Iran's military capability.
The alternative, the source says, is to live under constant threat. Unless Iran is seriously weakened, he says, it will continue to hold the region hostage.
