Gulf states back US-Iran accord while pressing for limits on Tehran
GCC governments have welcomed a US-Iran memorandum as analysts say the war has pushed Gulf capitals toward pragmatic diplomacy.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
4 min read
Gulf Arab states have endorsed a new US-Iran memorandum aimed at ending the regional war, a step analysts describe as a practical bid to reduce danger rather than a sign of trust in Tehran. The move matters because the six Gulf Cooperation Council members sit closest to the conflict’s shipping routes, missile threats and economic fallout.
Al Jazeera reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all welcomed the agreement signed last week by Washington and Tehran. The GCC was formed in 1981 after Gulf monarchies grew alarmed by the regional ambitions of Iran’s post-1979 government.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel has long tried to isolate Iran and its allied groups across the region. But analysts told the network that the latest conflict has pushed Gulf governments to engage Tehran more directly, even after Iran struck Gulf cities following Israeli and US attacks on Iran on February 28.
Diplomacy over force
Farah al-Qawasmi, a researcher at the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera that the conflict has forced Gulf states to seek a more practical relationship with Iran, including wider dialogue meant to deter further fighting. She said Gulf governments are pressing for a US-Iran deal to prevent and contain regional conflicts.
Rob Geist Pinfold, a security studies lecturer at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Gulf states still view diplomacy as a better way to change Iranian conduct and protect themselves from destabilising actions. He said their immediate concern is Iran’s use of drones, missiles and allied groups, rather than only its nuclear programme.
Pinfold noted that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz involved drones and missiles, according to Al Jazeera. He said Gulf officials are likely to seek an agreement broader than the 2015 nuclear accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, because maritime security and regional attacks remain pressing concerns.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s three-day Gulf tour, ending Thursday, is being viewed as part of Washington’s effort to reassure GCC states that the agreement will not leave Iran stronger, Al Jazeera reported.
Gulf role in talks
Mehran Haghirian, director of research and programmes at the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, told Al Jazeera that Gulf states have more influence over the current talks than they had during the 2015 negotiations. He said they are now central to the process.
Qatar is serving as a co-mediator and is effectively carrying GCC interests into the discussions, according to Al Jazeera. The network reported that articles five and six of the US-Iran memorandum put Gulf states at the centre of the agreement.
One major issue is the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has demanded tolls on shipping. Haghirian said any new Hormuz authority sought by Iran would have to include other GCC countries.
Another dispute concerns a proposed regional investment fund for Iran. US Vice President JD Vance said last week that a Gulf coalition would finance the fund, while Rubio said this week that regional allies would not be asked to pay into any reconstruction fund for Iran, according to Al Jazeera. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, described a reported $300bn figure as “aspirational” in an interview with the Financial Times.
A pragmatic shift
Analysts told Al Jazeera that GCC states do not all approach Iran in the same way. Oman, Qatar and Kuwait broadly supported the 2015 nuclear deal, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain were more sceptical but publicly backed it.
Haghirian said the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 encouraged a “maximum pressure” period that was followed by suspected Iran-linked attacks on Saudi oil facilities and vessels off Fujairah in 2019. He said those events helped push Saudi Arabia and the UAE to rethink their approach, leading to restored UAE-Iran ties in 2022 and the China-brokered Saudi-Iran agreement in 2023.
Pinfold told Al Jazeera that both Israel and Iran had acted in destabilising ways during the war. Haghirian said the Gulf response, including Qatar’s mediation after Iranian attacks, reflected a broad regional rebalancing driven by pragmatism.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.