Iran07 September, 20263 min read
Qatar’s Majed Al-Ansari Says Gulf States Should Not Rely Solely on US Security
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Iran war showed alliance with the US is not sufficient to secure Gulf security Gulf states must become more self-reliant and diversify security beyond the United States
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Qatar: US not enough
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the war with Iran has shown that Gulf Arab states should not rely solely on their strategic partnership with the United States to safeguard their security. Speaking at the Helly Forum in Abu Dhabi on Monday (Sep 7), al-Ansari told the Hili Forum that “having international forces in the region, having a strategic alliance with the United States, is very important, but is not enough.” He argued that “Self-sufficiency when it comes to security is the only way forward,” while also saying Gulf states need partners and allies but cannot depend on them alone.
The remarks came as the conflict between the US and Iran reached a stalemate after six months, with Iran disrupting traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the US pressing a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Qatar’s mediation role was also highlighted, including that Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani traveled to Tehran as part of mediation efforts after Iran and Oman discussed a temporary shipping corridor and mine-clearing.
Hormuz, shipping, and attacks
Multiple outlets tied al-Ansari’s comments to the operational pressure around Hormuz, where DW said navigation had fallen to its lowest level since May. DW reported that data from Kayrner (Kpler) showed the 10-day moving average of shipping traffic through the Hormuz Strait stood at 10 vessels on Sunday, compared with more than 15 vessels on Friday and about 13 vessels on Saturday. DW also said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by saying on Saturday that it targeted three oil tankers navigating in the strait without permission, in addition to three American ships in various areas.
In the same period, the UAE’s presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi that the United Arab Emirates is building alternative routes for energy exports and trade so they are not “held hostage” by the ongoing war between the US and Iran. Gargash warned that rebuilding trust after the attacks could take decades, while also saying “Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity.”
What’s at stake next
The sources framed the stakes as both security architecture and the risk of wider economic disruption, with Al-Jazeera Net warning that the crisis’ repercussions extend to energy, trade, maritime navigation, and global supply chains. Al-Ansari emphasized that the danger is the normalization of what the region has witnessed in recent months and treating it as a new reality rather than an temporary crisis. He also argued that the absence of international accountability for violations encourages repetition and undermines international security and stability.
In parallel, the Jerusalem Post reported that Hormuz remains a central obstacle in negotiations between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, with Iran claiming the strait belongs to Iran and Oman—a position Gulf states broadly reject. Gargash said “Freedom of navigation is not a concession to be granted, nor a principle to be renegotiated under pressure,” while warning that any long-term resolution must include credible guarantees against further Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states.