Gulf unity under Saudi Arabia is a strategic necessity

The domestic opposition within the US to President Donald J. Trump’s decision to enter into war against Iran, voiced by members of Congress and the American public alike, is both understandable and well-reasoned.

It is particularly so given the absence of conclusive evidence that Tehran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons or that it poses an imminent threat to US national security.

Yet for all the debate surrounding Washington’s decision, it is Iran’s own response that demands scrutiny.

Tehran’s aggressive retaliatory posture appears profoundly counterproductive, undermining its long-term strategic interests and potentially even threatening its survival.

CNN host Fareed Zakaria captured this paradox aptly just days ago, characterizing Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states as a “foolish mistake,” one that, rather than deterring its adversaries, may inadvertently compel Gulf nations to transcend their differences and forge the very unified security bloc that Tehran most fears.

History offers an instructive precedent for precisely this kind of regional consolidation.

When the Kingdom of Bahrain faced an existential threat in 2011, it urgently called upon the Peninsula Shield Force, and Saudi Arabia’s swift intervention proved decisive in preserving Bahrain’s sovereignty and stability.

That episode revealed both the indispensability of Saudi leadership and the acute vulnerability of smaller Gulf states when left to confront threats in isolation.

The 2011 crisis, in retrospect, served as an early template for collective Gulf security.

Dependence on external powers for regional security has proven not merely unreliable but dangerous.

Today’s escalating Iranian provocations echo that moment, only on a far larger scale, and underscore the urgent need to move beyond ad hoc crisis responses toward a permanent, formalized, and integrated defense architecture under Saudi leadership, one capable of providing the Gulf with enduring security rather than reactive relief.

Against this backdrop, the Gulf states find themselves at a genuine inflection point. Recent security developments have delivered an unmistakable message to every capital from Kuwait to Muscat: Dependence on external powers for regional security has proven not merely unreliable but dangerous, and that era has reached its definitive end.

The question confronting these nations is no longer whether unity is desirable, but how swiftly it can be achieved.

In this volatile environment, survival demands bold strategic recalibration and a decisive pivot toward indigenous, regionally rooted security arrangements, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the sole regional power possessing the comprehensive capabilities required, as their indispensable anchor.

What makes the current moment particularly consequential is the uncertainty surrounding how this conflict will conclude.

Statements from senior American officials suggest the war may extend well beyond initial expectations.

Yet Iran’s strategic posture has also shifted in ways that deserve careful analysis. Following the losses Tehran has sustained, most significantly the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28, 2026, Iran appears to have adopted a doctrine of maximum deterrence.

This is a calculated effort to make the cost of targeting its leadership so prohibitively high that any future adversary will think many times before contemplating such action again.

Rather than seeking a negotiated exit, Tehran seems intent on ensuring that this conflict is remembered as a severe warning to anyone who considers striking at the heart of the Iranian state.

In light of these realities, Gulf states would be prudent not to wait for the dust to settle before acting.

Whether this conflict ends sooner or later, the strategic lesson is already clear: Fragmented defense capabilities are a liability that the region can no longer afford.

The path forward lies in consolidating resources, harmonizing procurement strategies and building integrated command structures under collective leadership.

Transforming six separate defense budgets into one cohesive, formidable military force, anchored by Saudi Arabia and bound together by shared interests and historical brotherhood, is no longer merely an aspiration.

It is a strategic necessity in light of urgent security developments.