Analyst: Trump to Burden Arab Nations with Iran War Costs

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, regional analyst Abdel Bari Atwan, in a recent article, has commented on U.S. President Donald Trump‘s habit of making simplistic and contradictory statements, noting that Trump has become an exception in the history of American presidents in this regard.

Atwan pointed out that for approximately eight months, Trump has been asserting that the U.S. military has destroyed Iran’s armed forces and gained complete control of the Strait of Hormuz. However, he observed that Iran continues to export significant volumes of oil daily through the strait, while Trump maintains claims of U.S. naval dominance.

Referring to Donald Trump’s recent assertions about many regional leaders thanking him after an attack on Iran, Atwan quoted the U.S. President asking, “When will you pay for this?”

Atwan elaborated in his article that Trump’s reference was not to leaders of countries like Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan, but rather to the leaders of Persian Gulf states who, according to Trump, have based their monarchies on oil and gas wealth and should therefore bear the costs of war. Atwan suggested this might be why Trump continuously claims a return to normal commercial shipping and oil and gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the reality being starkly different from his pronouncements.

Atwan identified the United States and the Zionist regime as initiators of any such conflict, stressing that these parties should bear the war’s expenses from their own treasuries, not from the Persian Gulf nations, which have already incurred substantial financial losses due to America’s potentially devastating decisions.

The analyst also touched upon the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on establishing U.S. bases in the region, which were allegedly used for strikes against Iran. He noted that these bases failed to protect their host nations from Iran’s missile responses.

Atwan outlined logical and legal reasons why Persian Gulf countries might reject Trump’s demands, which he anticipates Trump may attempt to enforce in the coming months. These reasons include:

First, the war of the United States against Iran is, primarily, an Israeli war, designed under the direction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his compliant Zionist lobbies to utilize American power to destroy Iran.

Second, U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf countries, as well as in Jordan, served as launchpads for missiles, sorties of stealth F-35 fighter jets, and hundreds of drones targeting Iran, playing a significant role in the destruction caused by Iran’s missile retaliations.

Third, most Persian Gulf countries are currently facing severe financial losses resulting from the cessation of oil and gas exports over the past eight months at previous rates, as well as the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and partial obstruction of the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Some of these nations have reportedly resorted to borrowing from international banks to cover budget deficits. For example, official reports indicate Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit reached $44 billion this year.

Atwan wrote that Trump would not hesitate to sacrifice all Persian Gulf countries, extort them financially, and force them to pay for the costs of a failed war against Iran. He added that Trump might even compel them to fund reparations for damages inflicted upon Iran, a demand that would likely be at the forefront of any final diplomatic agreement to halt hostilities.

Consequently, as the popular proverb suggests, with such friends, Arab nations have little need for enemies.