Gate News reports that on March 17, three Gulf sources revealed that Gulf countries have not asked the U.S. to go to war with Iran, but many countries are now urging the U.S. not to back down, to prevent Iran from still having the ability to threaten the Gulf’s oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it.
Meanwhile, five Western and Arab diplomats said Washington is pressuring Gulf countries to join the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel. According to three of the sources, Trump wants to demonstrate regional support for military action to boost its international legitimacy and domestic backing.
Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center based in Saudi Arabia, said, “The entire Gulf region generally believes that Iran has crossed every red line with each Gulf country. Initially, we defended them and opposed war, but once they started attacking us, they became enemies. There is no other way to categorize them.”