The shared threat from Iran has pushed cooperation beyond covert intelligence sharing to a public, operational military alliance. The Israeli Defense Forces' chief of staff is now in daily contact with counterparts in Arab nations, representing a historic realignment in Middle East security architecture.

Regardless of the outcome, the US used the Iran conflict to gain critical intelligence. It confirmed Iranian missile capabilities, China and Russia's unwillingness to directly intervene for an ally, and that Gulf countries would align closer with the US under pressure.

Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are ambivalent about US military action. Their primary fear is not a full-scale war, but a limited 'hit-and-run' strike where the US attacks and then diverts attention, leaving them 'naked and vulnerable' to Iranian retaliation without a long-term American security presence.

Gulf countries now view the U.S. not as a protector but as a power that dragged them into a war as collateral damage and failed to defend them. This collapse of the old security architecture is causing fractures within the GCC and forcing states like the UAE to seek new, independent security arrangements.

The conflict reveals a dual nature of US support. While advanced American military equipment like missile defense systems proved highly effective in mitigating attacks, the political commitment to intervene and protect Gulf interests has repeatedly disappointed regional leaders, creating a crisis of confidence.

A threatening Iran creates regional uncertainty, compelling U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE to continuously purchase American weapons and technology. This dynamic creates a powerful financial incentive for the U.S. to maintain, rather than resolve, certain geopolitical conflicts.

While the war highlights the danger of the US partnership, Gulf states are counterintuitively forced to deepen their reliance on American military support for immediate defense. This creates a strategic paradox: they need the US for short-term survival but see the alliance as a long-term liability.

Contrary to the belief that Gulf states always wanted a hardline US policy on Iran, their perspective shifted after 2019. When Iran attacked Saudi and UAE assets and the Trump administration failed to respond, they realized the US was an unreliable defender. This prompted them to make their own peace with Iran, a policy directly undermined by the recent US-led war.

The main driver for US action against Iran is to stabilize the Gulf region to secure over $2 trillion in investment deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. These deals are the centerpiece of Trump's economic agenda, making the threat from Iran an existential economic one.