Kuwait's denial, Saudi disappointment - and the criticism: "The Iranians are playing Donald Trump"
The US administration's decision to freeze the expansion of hostilities is causing frustration in Riyadh and confusion in the region. A Saudi source close to the government told N12: "No one trusts Donald Trump." A commentator from Bahrain noted: "The Gulf states are capable of attacking, but choose the path of peace."
In the shadow of Donald Trump's decision to freeze the expansion of hostilities and following the report in the Wall Street Journal about strikes carried out by Bahrain and Kuwait in Iran earlier this month, the Gulf states are not hiding their confusion regarding Donald Trump's conduct and their fears for the future.
Anger at Donald Trump: He is confusing
A Saudi source close to the government in Riyadh harshly criticized the policy of US President Donald Trump in a conversation with N12: "It is very frustrating to understand how he operates. No one understands his working method, he is confusing, and no one trusts him. Everyone is disappointed with his conduct."
"There is no trust in Donald Trump," continues the Saudi source. "No one knows exactly what he wants. Does he want to fight or not? Sometimes he says: 'We are in control' and the Iranians say: 'We are in control'. He claims that the military actions in Iran are not enough."
"The Iranians are playing him, no one believes him"
A Saudi source close to the government did not hide the frustration with the conflicting messages coming from Washington. "The Iranians are playing Donald Trump. They are pulling him here and there. He talks as if he is the hero and as if the campaign is over, and then it turns out that the war has not ended at all and that, in fact, everything is just beginning. Therefore, no one believes him completely," he emphasized.
"There must be a state of war or peace. Years of an intermediate state no longer work. It is impossible to continue with a half-and-half situation," the Saudi source clarified. Referring to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, he said: "If the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is not resolved, it is impossible to end the crisis. On the contrary - if it ends like this, it means that the war is lost. The Strait of Hormuz must be safe and open to the world, and Iran must return to its natural size and stop its influence and control."
Kuwait denied: "We did not participate in military action against Iran"
After the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Bahrain and Kuwait attacked missile and UAV storage warehouses in Iran for the first time at the beginning of the month, alongside other military targets, using fighter jets sent secretly, the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington issued a denial overnight: "The claims appearing in the report are completely false. Kuwait did not participate in any military action against Iran and did not even allow the use of its territory, its airspace, or its territorial waters for the purpose of carrying out any offensive action against any neighboring country."
Commentator from Bahrain: "The Gulf states are capable of attacking, but choose the path of peace"
It seems that there is also confusion in Bahrain regarding US policy. Bahraini commentator Ahmed Al-Kuzai told N12: "People are treating this with skepticism. It is not really clear what is meant by 'not expanding the war', especially because since the beginning of the war there was an expectation that the goal would be to topple the regime in Iran, and that did not happen."
Referring to Kuwait's denial, he noted that just as happened with the same report from May, even then there was no official confirmation or denial from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. "Even today it is the same approach. The Kuwaiti ambassador in Washington denied the report, and there is no official statement on the subject. That is, it seems they do not want to open the subject in the media."
Al-Kuzai believes that a calculated reason stands behind this decision. "In my estimation, they still have hope for a ceasefire. On the other hand, they are also preparing for the possibility that they will not be left alone against Iran if a front opens. From the beginning of the war, there was a fear in the Gulf that the USA would eventually reach an agreement with Iran, leave the region, and the Gulf states would be left alone with a problem against Iran. This will be a very big problem."
"If we assume that the attack did indeed take place, then the message is not only towards the USA," he emphasized. "The message is that the Gulf states are capable of responding and are also capable of attacking, but they choose the path of peace."
"On the other hand, if there was really only one attack, then what is the benefit of it?" wondered the Bahraini commentator. "In such a case, it can only be a message that there is a willingness to carry out targeted strikes to weaken Iran's missile infrastructure. Iran cannot continue in its current state as it has been until today," concluded Al-Kuzai. "Otherwise, it will mean the end of the era of peace in the Gulf region."
