Gulf Partners Step Back as Trump’s “Beautiful Armada” Meets Closed Skies

By staff, Agencies

Two of Washington’s closest Gulf partners, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have moved to distance themselves from any potential US military action against Iran, declaring that their airspace and territory will not be used for such operations.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman conveyed the position during a phone call on Tuesday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, stressing that the kingdom would not permit its land or airspace to be used for military actions targeting Iran.

The stance followed a similar announcement from the UAE a day earlier, in which Abu Dhabi said it would neither provide logistical support nor serve as a launchpad for hostile operations against Tehran.

The decisions complicate US military planning, given the heavy American footprint in both countries. Saudi Arabia hosts more than 2,300 US troops, while around 5,000 American personnel are stationed at the UAE’s Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi. Despite this, analysts suggest the refusals reflect a calculated effort by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to avoid being pulled into a wider regional conflict and to limit exposure to possible Iranian retaliation.

Military experts cited by the Wall Street Journal noted that while the Saudi and Emirati positions raise operational costs and logistical hurdles for Washington, they do not entirely rule out US military action.

The developments come as President Donald Trump has expanded the US military presence in the Middle East, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group along with additional fighter squadrons and missile-defense systems. Reports indicate that another guided-missile destroyer, the USS Delbert D. Black, joined the buildup on Wednesday, increasing the number of US warships in the CENTCOM area to at least ten.

Trump has described the deployment of what he called a “beautiful armada” as a show of force designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program and its handling of domestic unrest, while still claiming to keep the door open for diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the US has launched large-scale, multi-day military exercises across the region, aimed at testing the dispersal of personnel and aircraft to contingency locations and improving coordination with unnamed partner nations.

Iran has warned that any country facilitating an attack would be treated as hostile. Echoing that position, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday that Tehran is “200 percent ready to defend itself” and would respond in an “appropriate, not proportionate” manner, with US bases in the region widely seen as potential targets.