Gulf countries want the war to end, but can’t agree on how

As the U.S. continues daily strikes on Iran, the Arab states battered by Tehran’s retaliatory attacks are trying to unite to chart a path toward peace. Longstanding tensions are getting in the way. In recent weeks, top ministers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have posed for a photo showing their countries are reconciling; Jordan and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have had meetings at the State Department and on Capitol Hill; and the GCC has issued a torrent of joint statements condemning Iranian attacks. But as much as these countries have a common goal of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, their different priorities in getting there are making it tough to make progress, according to interviews with Arab diplomats, current and former U.S. officials and others familiar with regional dynamics. That includes a series of conflicting interests based on who has alternatives to shipping via the waterway, whose infrastructure is most entangled with Iran’s, and which country’s economy is bleeding the hardest during the crisis. “They’re working together to visit Congress and the State Department, to coordinate their messages,” said an Iraqi official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “But they are not on the same page.” The Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — was founded in 1981 in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq war and already had disputes heading into the current conflict. The Iran war is bringing those to the fore. “They’ve got a lot to get over and the war has exacerbated extant divisions in the Gulf,” said David Schenker, who handled Middle Eastern affairs at the State Department in the first Trump administration. One of the most visible signs of internal rifts during the last months came when the UAE pulled out of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel in April, at least in part related to divisions over the Iran war. A diplomat from an Arab country outside the Gulf, granted anonymity to describe behind-the-scenes tensions, argued the UAE’s withdrawal “truly angered other countries, specifically Saudi Arabia. The Gulf will no longer be the same as it was before.” “The GCC is nonfunctional,” the person said. Saudi Arabia and the UAE didn’t respond to questions on their relationship or the GCC. The divides in Iran’s neighborhood make getting any kind of diplomatic solution to the war, or effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, significantly more difficult. Some want to go harder against Iran, while others want to prioritize opening the strait. “I don’t think they could bring the war to a close, but they could be more productive in managing the consequences of the war,” said Allison Minor, who served as director for Yemen and Oman on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration. She said Gulf countries could work with European countries to monitor the Strait of Hormuz, and help convince Beijing to quietly use its leverage to pressure Iran into opening the waterway. The renewed U.S. bombing campaign over the past two weeks is adding urgency for the Gulf nations to find a way to work together. Iran has retaliated with strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and its Houthi proxies in Yemen have attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. By Friday, the coalition led by Saudi Arabia said it struck sites belonging to the Houthis in response. A strong and united GCC might be able to repel incoming fire better together, and possibly get more sway in future ceasefire talks, said retired Navy Vice Adm. John “Fozzie” Miller, who previously commanded the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. “What they see is the need for this to be resolved in a way that doesn’t leave them holding the bag,” Miller said. Asked about the strength of the Gulf Cooperation Council, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, “The United States maintains excellent relations with all the GCC countries, and President [Donald