The Gulf does not have to choose Iran or Israel

One of the most dangerous ideas in today’s Middle East is the claim that Gulf states must choose between Iran and Israel. This framing is politically simple, but strategically misleading. It assumes that Gulf security can be reduced to alignment with one regional actor against another. The Gulf’s central interest is neither to defend Iran nor to serve Israel’s regional agenda. Its real interest is to prevent the region from becoming a battlefield. For Gulf states, escalation is a direct threat. …