The readiness of President Trump to drop what were once non-negotiable demands, including an end to Iran’s ballistic missile program and a halt to its support for such terrorist proxies as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, has alarmed the Saudis, who now see Trump as a “paper tiger.” They are reaching out to Russia and China, as possible replacements for America in guaranteeing Saudi security, including by selling advanced weaponry, and they might even be allowed to station their troops in bases in the Kingdom. More on this can be found here: “Trump’s refusal to return to war with Iran will ‘cost him dearly’, Saudi expert claims,” Jerusalem Post, May 29, 2026:
Saudi Arabia no longer trusts the US to provide protection, Saudi analyst Mubarak al-Ati said in an interview on Russia Today TV earlier this week.
“It seems that [US President Donald] Trump refuses to return to war and overthrow the Ayatollah’s regime. This will cost him dearly,” Ati said, while claiming that the US president has shown that he is a paper tiger.
Ati said that the US’s first real sign of its failure in international affairs was Biden’s “humiliating exit” from Afghanistan in 2021. “The US is still a superpower, but not as it was a decade ago,” he opined.
“The balance of power has changed significantly, and for rising powers such as India, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, all of which are G20 members, there are now new possibilities, and they can establish relations with all forces, not just with the US.”
The Saudi expert claims that the US’s dwindling presence on the world stage has led Gulf States and other Muslim countries to not take Trump’s demands to join the Abraham Accords very seriously.
“Saudi Arabia refrained from being drawn into war and did not stand alongside Israel and the United States, just as it did not stand alongside Iran,” Ati said. “Saudi Arabia has not declared hostility toward any of the parties, and this means they analyzed the situation and saw themselves as an independent actor who cannot be a satellite of Israel and the US.”
Saudi Arabia has been a free-rider in the conflict pitting Iran against the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. and Israel have done the heavy lifting, destroying much of Iran’s military capability, including hundreds of ballistic missiles and missile manufacturing plants, as well as greatly damaging Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Meanwhile, the Saudis, who are eager to see Iran weakened and, if possible, its regime destroyed, have been observing the war, the ceasefire, and the U.S.-Iran negotiations, without taking part, hoping that the Iranians will not attack them.
He said that instead, Saudi Arabia is leading a new “Arab-Islamic bloc” with Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar, which will likely be announced soon.
“It has put the brakes on the Abraham Accords and is clearing the region of Israeli presence in Sudan, South Yemen, and Somaliland. Saudi Arabia will not join the Abraham Accords,” he said.
What “Israeli presence” in Sudan does Mubarak al-Ati have in mind? Sudan is a member of the Abraham Accords in name only. It does not even have diplomatic relations with Israel. As for an “Israeli presence” in South Yemen, what can he be thinking of? There is no Israeli presence in South Yemen or, indeed, anywhere else in Yemen. Israel intermittently fires missiles at Houthi fighters and missile launchers in Yemen, in response to Houthi missile and drone attacks.
As for Somaliland, the country has close relations with Israel, and intends to keep them, whatever pressure the Saudis or other Muslim states put on the country. After Somaliland broke off from Somalia to form an independent country, Israel was the first country and only member of the United Nations to recognize it. And Israel has used its influence in Washington to promote Somaliland’s interests, including its recognition by the U.S. Senator Cruz, known for his support of Israel, who has also now called for American recognition of Somaliland. Somaliland is grateful both for Israel’s recognition of its independent status, and for its efforts to use its influence in Washington to promote similar recognition by Washington. Somaliland has promised to put its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem. How do the Saudis intend to make Somaliland free of an Israeli presence when Israel has cemented such close ties and, as the leaders of Somaliland say, “Israel is the best friend of Somaliland”?
Ati said that Saudi diplomacy is “paving the way for a non-violent agreement in the region.”
There is little possibility of a “non-violent agreement” — Al-Ati’s curious formulation — that can long be sustained between Iran and its neighbors in the Gulf. Iran not only wants not to yield to the Great Satan, America, or the Little Satan, Israel, but also sees itself as the natural leader, the hegemon, in the Gulf region. It has not hesitated to launch missile and drone strikes on all of those states — the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman. The UAE is still enraged over the hundreds of ballistic missiles and even more drones that Iran launched against it — more than it launched against Israel. Qatar, which Al-Ati claims will be part of this new Arab-Islamic group that Saudi Arabia will head, has its own score to settle with Iran for the missiles it has rained down on the country, in an attempt to pressure it to remove the American military base at Al-Udeid. Iran has launched 380 ballistic missiles and drones at Kuwait, and done significant damage to two Kuwaiti military bases, the Ali Al Salem and Camp Arifjan military bases. More than 400 Iranian missiles and drones were launched at tiny Bahrain.
Billy says
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and the 50+ Islamic Countries are Terrorist States and enemies of America, Israel, Europe, and the West as taught in Islamic Law and in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15, etc.). Turkey can conquer Saudi Arabia at its own discretion. Besides, Saudi Arabia is spearheading the Islamization of America and Europe with its vast oil money.
Allah rewards his Muslim believers, Terrorists of Allah, with a Garden Paradise when they kill and are killed in Jihad for Allah as war against Non-Muslims with MUSLIM MONEY and with MUSLIM LIVES to make Islam, Islamic Law, supreme. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed JIHAD with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” See also Qur’an 2:191; 4:89, 91; 8:60; 9:5, 29, 111; 47:4; 48:29, etc.
OLD GUY says
Saudi Arabia is only Americas friend as long as it benefits them.
Wellington says
Perhaps substance still resides in Trump’s initiatives, but even by now this is indeed in doubt, but what cannot be doubted is that the optics of the so-called ceasefire since early April have been dismal if not terrible. Does Trump get this? Does Rubio? Does Vance? Et al.?
What the Hell is going on? Any remnant of this Iranian regime remaining equals failure. No way around this.
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
If the IRGC remains as the security / political force in Iran – and continues to call all of the shots – the Iran war will end in a failure for the United States and Israel.
SKA says
Have the rulers of Arabistan-e Sa’udi forgotten the oppression oftheir former Ottoman rulers, the duplicity of Qatar and Pakistan’s inability to win any of the wars it started against India? Nor Pakistan’s inability to pacify its own Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (former Federally Administered Tribal Territory) and Baluchistan? With “allies” like these what can possibly go wrong! 😆
࿗Infidel࿘ says
During Trump 45, the Saudis were nervous about the non-Arab muslims flexing their muscles – which is why they sabotaged a Turkey led islamic alliance being proposed at Kuala Lumpur. Now, w/ Iran on the ropes, they don’t think that threat exists, so are resuming their plots against Israel, this time hoping to fight by proxy – via the Turks, the Palis and so on. But they’ve lost their Gulf vassals – Qatar 7 years ago, Emirates too (given Abu Dhabi’s support to the STC and their favorite faction in Sudan) which last month left OPEC, Kuwait (which tried to play mediator b/w Riyadh and Doha). Oman (which was a mediator b/w the US & Iran). Only Bahrein is still a stooge of Riyadh, since they need the Saudis if they want to keep their shi’a population – who are Twelvers like in Iran – quiet
Israel should at this point go ahead and annex Judea & Samaria, and make it clear to both Washington and the Arab League that that’s no longer on the table for negotiations
gravenimage says
How the Saudis Have Lost Faith in America
………………………………………..
When they clap their hands and tell their “Blue Eyed Slaves”–Americans–to jump, they don’t always ask “how high”?
Yes, Presidet Trump waffling over Iran is not a good thing–but not because he has disappointed the “Land of the Two Holy Places”…
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Unlike the Israelis, the Saudis are not tied to US. We saw that during the Biden administration: when he canned their arms deals over the Khashoggi murder, they hit back harder:
⮞ Supported Russia diplomatically in its war w/ Ukraine
⮞ Started the de-dollarization trend by making Renminbi an acceptable currency for oil sales
⮞ Refused to increase oil output when Russian oil was pulled off the world markets
They can make moves similar to that now as well. Trump wants to prevent the dollar from losing its status as the world’s reserve currency by tariffing any country that “dares”, but that ship, unlike Iranian ships stuck at Bandar Abbas, has sailed. Swift has largely lost its status, while countries are discovering that they can trade in their own currencies w/o involving dollars
Israel may be SOL if we abandon them, given the history of the Jewish people w/ both the Romanovs and the Soviets, to trust the Russians. But it’s not true about any Arab country, particularly those swimming in oil
More than one threat says
The West should place economic sanctions on every member nation of the OIC.
abu taleb says
I don’t believe the Saudis have any capability of their own. They may have modern techoloby, but they don;t have the working ethic for maintaining it and using it effectively. They depend on foreigners for that.
ploome says
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2000/12/why-arabs-lose-wars-fighting-as-you-train-and-the-impact-of-culture-on-arab-military-effectiveness/
Why Arabs Lose Wars: Fighting as You Train, and the Impact of Culture on Arab Military Effectiveness
Stive says
Keep listening to crown prince Pahlavi. Pahlavi has assembled significant armed forces inside Iran from the people, from army defectors and more. He’s ready now to begin taking down the regime place by place. The hold up is trump. Pahlavi’s forces do not want foreign ground troops to assist, as they can do it themselves. They must have full coordinated air support and Israel has agreed and ready to start . Only trump is in the way. If Israel helps without trump permission, trump will rage against Israel. Trump is making a mess of everything.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, but when? This “revolution” is taking place at glacial speeds: it’s the slowest revolution that I have ever witnessed!
Ralph says
It is high time to accept the Saudis for what they are; vendors of a commodity we have every ability to produce ourselves or in Venezuela and sell to ourselves. Shake the Saudis’ hands, pat them on the shoulder (not with the left hand) and bid them a final farewell.