Gulf states forge new military alliances as Iran strikes expose great power limits

Gulf monarchies are signing military cooperation pacts with Pakistan and Turkey as the war in Iran stretches into its sixth month, turning to new defensive partners after discovering that neither Washington nor Beijing can shield them from Iranian strikes.

Kuwait signed a military cooperation agreement with Pakistan on Thursday that will provide training and bolster the city state's defensive capacity. The deal comes after Saudi Arabia concluded a three-way pact with Turkey and Pakistan featuring a NATO-style mutual defence clause treating an attack on one member as an attack on all.

New alliances expose limits of major powers

The strategic pivot follows repeated attacks on Gulf states, forcing their leaders to confront the reality that neither the United States nor China can protect them from Iranian military action. On Wednesday, the Iranian army warned that any "possible future war" with the US could spread across the region and target energy and communications infrastructure.

Observers warned that the Gulf states' shift towards self-reliant defence networks could test China's "involvement without commitment" strategy in the region. Beijing has pursued economic and diplomatic engagement across the Middle East while avoiding security guarantees or military entanglements that would force it to choose sides in regional conflicts.

The emerging security architecture marks a departure from the Gulf states' traditional reliance on Washington's security umbrella and Beijing's economic partnerships, suggesting both powers have lost credibility as guarantors during the current crisis.

Source: South China Morning Post