Gulf States Back US-Iran Deal Despite Iran's Attacks
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- GCC member states Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman welcomed the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week, though analysts told Al Jazeera the backing reflects a desire to end the war rather than newfound trust in Tehran.
- Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iran to retaliate against all six Gulf states and forcing a reassessment of their regional posture, according to the article.
- Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz using drones and missiles rather than nuclear weapons, making the waterway a "today problem" for Gulf states over Tehran's nuclear programme, King's College London's Rob Geist Pinfold told Al Jazeera.
- Qatar is co-mediating the US-Iran talks on behalf of the GCC, with articles five and six of the MoU placing Gulf states at the centre of the agreement.
- Tehran is demanding tolls on Strait of Hormuz shipping and a regional reconstruction fund for Iran, with the reported $300bn figure dismissed as "aspirational" by Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a three-day Gulf tour to assure GCC members that Tehran won't be strengthened by the deal; he publicly contradicted Vice President JD Vance by saying regional allies won't be asked to contribute to Iran's reconstruction fund.
- Israel reportedly deployed an Iron Dome battery to the UAE even as Iran was attacking Gulf cities, illustrating the competing security pressures pulling at Gulf states.
Why it matters: The deal's material stakes — Iran's demand for Strait of Hormuz tolls and a reported $300bn reconstruction fund — directly implicate Gulf states, and the GCC's articles five and six place them inside the agreement. With Qatar co-mediating and Rubio in the region contradicting Vance on funding, the diplomatic channel is now shaped around who pays for Iran's recovery and who controls Hormuz shipping, not just nuclear constraints.
