Tuesday Mar 17, 2026
Tuesday Mar 17, 2026
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US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has said the US might continue to bomb Iran’s Kharg Island “just for fun."
Al Jazeera asked analyst Samir Puri if comments like this could shatter the image of the US as a reliable security partner to the Gulf countries.
“When a major or superpower offers security guarantees, it’s not just about the hardware and the army capabilities, it’s also about the sense of strategic common sense that comes with it, that this is a responsible actor,” said King’s College London War Studies Visiting Lecturer Puri.
Other members of the Trump administration have also acted in ways that may make Gulf States question whether the US is a stable long-term partner, said Puri.
“Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be taking an enormous delight for destruction’s sake in terms of the way the US is approaching the war in Iran,” he added. “While there has been a long-term rivalry between Iran and Arab States, there’s also an intense desire for stability, and the question among Gulf States will be whether the US can continue to maintain stability in the region.”
“This is a valid question, given that it’s arguably radicalising further an already radicalised Iranian theocratic regime, which already has apocalyptic visions about its own destiny, its own sense of martyrdom, many of which they feel have been validated given that the US and Israel launched strikes on their country during negotiations,” said Puri. (Al Jazeera)
