PAKISTAN’S diplomatic balancing act may not prevent it from being drawn into the escalating conflict, which has already sucked in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. Iran, under attack by America and Israel, has targeted not only US military bases in the Gulf but also oil installations in the region. Tehran asserts that these bases are legitimate targets because they are used to launch attacks against it.

Although these countries have not yet directly responded to the Iranian strikes, they have effectively become a part of America’s war that does not seem to be ending soon. The widening conflict is not only threatening their security but also resulting in massive financial losses for them.

These countries are caught in a war not of their choosing. According to Western media reports, countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, attempted to prevent the US from launching this war due to awareness of its implications. However, these nations, which host over a dozen military bases with more than 50,000 American troops, were unable to stop President Donald Trump’s war of choice. They also did not categorically denounce America’s aggressive actions against Iran or the killing of its leader.

The GCC countries have established special relations with the Trump administration and are committed to investing billions of dollars in the US. These nations, along with Israel, are also members of Trump’s controversial Board of Peace, formed under his personal leadership and established just weeks before the US-Israeli attack on Iran. It is believed that the........

© Dawn