Donald Trump now claims that he paused another attack on Iran after Gulf leaders urged him to step back and give diplomacy another chance. One almost has to admire the absurdity of the moment. After weeks of thunderous rhetoric, cinematic bombing campaigns and declarations of imminent victory, the self-proclaimed master of escalation now presents himself as the reluctant peacemaker being gently restrained by nervous Arab monarchs!

And, honestly, that may very well be true. Because, unlike Washington, the Gulf kingdoms actually live in the Gulf. For the United States, the war with Iran is just another projection of power conducted from aircraft carriers, command centres and television studios thousands of miles away. But, for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, it is a question of whether their ports, pipelines, desalination plants, airports and financial districts remain standing next month. The Americans can lose money. The Gulf states can lose countries. That is the uncomfortable reality now hanging over West Asia after Trump’s latest admission. The war has failed to achieve any of the grand objectives advertised at the beginning. Iran’s political structure has not collapsed, its military capabilities remain intact enough to threaten the entire region, and its missile and drone networks continue to function. Most importantly, Iran has demonstrated that it possesses what every regional power fears most: survivable retaliation. And once a country proves that, the entire strategic equation changes. The truly darkly comic part is that Washington entered the confrontation claiming it was restoring deterrence. Instead, Gulf monarchies are now reportedly pleading with Washington not to escalate further, as they........

© Mathrubhumi English