War on Iran: How the Gulf stepped in to clean up America's mess Submitted by Andreas Krieg on Tue, 06/16/2026 - 18:18 As Trump waged a war he could not end, Gulf states closed ranks, revived diplomacy with Tehran and prevented a wider regional crisis US President Donald Trump meets Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on 16 June 2026 (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) On For 30 years, the Gulf monarchies rested their security on a single assumption: that the United States would keep them safe. The war that US President Donald Trump and Israel waged against Iran has buried that assumption. The American bases scattered across the Gulf did not shield states from a conflict they never chose.