Iran · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Qatar’s Majed Al-Ansari Says Iran War Shows US Alliance Is Not Enough For Gulf Security
Gulf states cannot rely solely on the United States for their security; self-reliance needed. Iran war showed that the US alliance is important but not sufficient for Gulf security.
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Qatar urges Gulf self-sufficiency
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the Iran war showed Gulf Arab states should not depend only on their strategic partnership with the United States for security, speaking at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
“Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward”
He told the forum, “We need to realise in the Gulf that having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the US is very important but is not enough,” and added, “Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward.”
The Arab Weekly reported that Qatar is a key mediator in the US-Iran war and has sustained heavy Iranian attacks, especially on its energy infrastructure, while the conflict has left Iran disrupting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the US pressing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports after six months of conflict.
The same reporting said Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani traveled to Tehran last month as part of mediation efforts after Iran and Oman said they were discussing a temporary shipping corridor and mine-clearing.
In parallel, the CNA described the remarks as a call for Gulf nations to be more self-sufficient for security, with al-Ansari speaking in Abu Dhabi on Sep 7.
Hili Forum quotes and framing
At the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, Majed al-Ansari repeated that international forces and a US strategic alliance are important but insufficient, telling the Middle East Eye that the war with Iran showed Gulf states could no longer rely on strategic alliances with the US for their security.
He said, “We need to realise in the Gulf that having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the US is very important but is not enough. Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward,” and the Middle East Eye linked the statement to Qatar and other Gulf states condemning Iran’s strikes on energy and other infrastructure.
The Middle East Eye also said Qatar, alongside Pakistan, played a key role in brokering an April ceasefire and a June memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US, but that “both arrangements have since collapsed.”
Meanwhile, the Saudi Gazette framed the moment as a “pivotal moment” for the region and said al-Ansari stressed the importance of Gulf unity amid threats such as the conflict in Iran.
The Saudi Gazette quoted him again on the same core argument, warning that strategic alliances with the United States are no longer sufficient to guarantee security.
Hormuz, energy, and trust
Beyond Qatar’s security message, the Jerusalem Post said the UAE is building alternative routes for its energy exports and trade so they are not “held hostage” by the ongoing war between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity”
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, “Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” and the Jerusalem Post said the UAE has been expanding port capacity along its eastern coast and developing pipelines, railways and trade routes for alternative corridors.
The Jerusalem Post also warned that rebuilding trust after the attacks could take decades, adding, “A functional relationship with Iran can and must be restored, but rebuilding trust is another matter.”
It said the UAE suspended all financial and economic transactions with the Islamic Republic in August, citing military escalation by Tehran and missile threats, and described Hormuz as a sticking point because Iran claimed the strait belongs to Iran and Oman while Gulf states broadly reject that position.
In the same broader context, the Arab Weekly reported that after six months of conflict the foes were at a stalemate, with Iran disrupting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the US pressing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.