The attack was ready. Trump said so himself. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on August 2, he explained his decision to call off a planned strike on Iran. He claimed the request for restraint came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran. He described the aborted operation as massive.

The Wall Street Journal corroborated the Gulf’s role. Gulf allies urged restraint. Qatari mediators carried a proposal to Tehran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Mohammed bin Salman called the White House simply to ask where American strategy was actually heading.

Three Arab capitals asked Washington to wait. According to the president, Tehran asked for the exact same thing. Tehran promptly denied it, insisting Iran is not negotiating with the United States at all. But whether the Iranian plea is a back-channel reality or a White House invention, the Arab panic is perfectly documented. The reason behind it is neither mysterious nor irrational.

The fear driving those calls is not theoretical. Iran has been attacking these countries since the war erupted on February 28. Tehran has made the threat explicit. If American forces strike Iranian soil, Iranian missiles will dismantle the energy grids of the Gulf. Every refinery, every port, and every desalination plant sits on the target list. They host the American bases, making them the closest available targets.........

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