Trump Meets Gulf Allies at U.N. as 6-Month Iran War Batters Hormuz Exports
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
Trump Meets Gulf Allies at U.N. as 6-Month Iran War Batters Hormuz Exports
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 22
Summary
U.N. talks in New York on Tuesday will bring Trump together with Persian Gulf officials as Gulf states press for clarity on U.S. defense commitments amid widening regional wars.
Six months of U.S.-Iran conflict have left Bahrain and other hosts of U.S. forces exposed to Iranian missile and drone strikes, undermining the deterrent value they once saw in the American military presence.
Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has choked energy exports from Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, while Saudi Arabia has rerouted oil through the Red Sea.
A second front in Yemen has sharpened Gulf alarm: Houthi forces struck Riyadh on Saturday and seized ground near Bab al-Mandab, yet Trump has refused Saudi requests for U.S. military action against them.
That strain is pushing Gulf states to hedge, from Emirati outreach to Tehran to discussions of a Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defense arrangement.