Analysis: Islamic NATO Or Europe - Is Gulf Rethinking Its Options After Trump's 'Betrayal'?

Updated: Apr 13, 2026 16:13 pm IST Published On Apr 13, 2026 16:11 pm IST Last Updated On Apr 13, 2026 16:13 pm IST

Published On Apr 13, 2026 16:11 pm IST

Last Updated On Apr 13, 2026 16:13 pm IST

Almost two hours before US President Donald Trump's deadline to 'end the whole of civilisation' through massive bombings on the night of April 7, his post on Truth Social announced a two-week-long ceasefire brokered by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Speculations were divided: many doubted Iran would act on Trump's threats, while a significant number believed a strike against Iran's energy infrastructure was imminent. The security landscape in the Gulf has been permanently altered by the ceasefire, which now hangs in limbo as talks between US and Iran held in Islamabad collapsed. 

The escalation from the US, Iranian retaliation, and Europe's limits have reshaped Gulf security in ways Washington did not anticipate.

Every major war in West Asia has reshaped the region's power politics, with global implications. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the Jewish state emerged victorious with more territory under its control than it had before it. Similarly, the 1956 Suez crisis ended the global influence of Britain and France, the two major colonial empires. The 1967 Six-Day War reestablished Israel's military dominance and laid the groundwork for the present-day Gaza crisis. In 1973, the Yom Kippur War caused a major oil crisis after Saudi-led oil-producing countries refused to sell to the US over its support for Israel. The aftermath of the war saw the emergence of the petro-dollar system and the start of the US-Saudi military partnership in exchange for the trade of oil in dollars. The Gulf wars of 1991 and 2003 weakened and later led to the removal of Saddam Hussein from power, making Iran the sole rival to Saudi Arabia in the region.

Similarly, the 2026 Iran-US war has turned the region increasingly vulnerable, has left its energy infrastructure more exposed, made Iran weaker, and forced the Gulf to rethink its security partnership with the US.

The US and Israel have had strong ties for over eight decades. The Arab world witnessed a thaw in its relations with the Americans, especially with the emergence of the petro-dollar trading system, which further increased the demand for the US dollar in exchange for security........

© NDTV