Is the Iran War Pulling Gulf Arabs Toward Europe?

Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states are rethinking their relationship with the United States as they have lost billions due to the war on Iran, and the Iranian regime remains in power.

• Qatar will lose an estimated $20 billion in annual revenue due to Iran’s attack on its liquefied natural gas plant. Gulf oil producers lost $15 billion in revenue during the first fortnight of the Strait of Hormuz being closed. The United Arab Emirates’ ambitions to become a low-tax luxury haven for the world’s wealthy have suffered incalculable damage.

The Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.) are angrier than ever with Iran.

“I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be—Qatar and the region—in such an attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of Ramadan, attacking us in ‌this way.”
—Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar energy minister

But many in these countries are also angry with the United States. A prominent U.A.E. billionaire asked Donald Trump on social media:

“Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran? And on what basis did you make this dangerous decision? Did you calculate the collateral damage before pulling the trigger? And did you consider that the first to suffer from this escalation will be the countries of the region itself!”
—Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor (X.com, March 5)

The real-estate and hospitality magnate went on to delete the posts, perhaps after pressure from the government, but the words surely reflect the sentiments of large swathes of Arab business, industry and politics.

“[T]he U.S. security umbrella is not what it was in the 1990s. We have gone through one episode after another where the Americans did not act up in that role. This is just a continuation, and we have already been diversifying partners.”
—Dr. Bader al-Saif of Kuwait University

“The threat to the oil and gas production is just the tip of the iceberg—outsourcing security to the U.S. itself has proven to be a failed model. I think there will be a major shift to diversify security guarantees beyond the U.S. The shifts are momentous indeed. The Persian Gulf will never be the same.”
—Prof. Arshin Adib-Moghaddam of the London School of Oriental and African Studies

The Gulf states’ realignment will mean reducing reliance on the U.S. military, purchasing fewer weapons from the U.S., and finding new allies.

Europe is an obvious partner. European companies like Airbus, Rheinmetall and Leonardo can provide advanced weapons. Germany resumed arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2024, and Europe has strong ties to the region. It also looks like a more stable and predictable ally.

The King of the South, by Gerald Flurry, forecasts an alliance between Europe and the Gulf Arabs, along with Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. Major strides toward this alliance have already been made. And now that relationship seems to be set up for a dramatic fulfillment—exactly as the Bible prophesies. Read The King of the South online, or get your own free printed copy.