Gulf Nations Urge Regional Self-Reliance, Stressing Limits of Sole US Dependence

In a coordinated effort to redefine regional defense, senior officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have called for Gulf states to reduce their reliance on United States protection and build self-sufficient security architectures. Speaking at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, both nations emphasized the urgent need for collective regional action to counter threats and manage relations with Iran.

‘Trust is the mountain we will have to climb’

Dr. Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, stressed that while strategic alliances with international powers remain vital, they are insufficient on their own. “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,” Al Ansari stated. He advocated for self-sufficiency as the only viable path forward, noting that while allies are necessary, Gulf nations cannot depend solely on external powers for their defense.

Despite hosting the largest US military installation in the Middle East, Qatar has faced direct threats, with Tehran claiming its attacks targeted US interests—a claim Doha has firmly rejected, asserting that its territory and civilian infrastructure were directly targeted.

The UAE’s presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash told the forum that the region will need to find ways to rebuild relations with Iran as “geography leaves us no alternative to engagement,” and that those relations will need to be judged by actions and not words to rebuild any shattered trust.

“Trust is the mountain we will have to climb,” Gargash said.

“We must distinguish clearly between rebuilding a necessary and functional relationship with Iran and rebuilding the trust that has been broken. The first is necessary. The second will be far more difficult,” the UAE official added.

The UAE president’s adviser underlined that Tehran’s decision to attack the UAE and the Gulf countries “that had not attacked it” was “not a decision taken in 24 or 48 hours, nor was it an impulsive reaction. It was a premeditated war of choice waged against its neighbors in direct violation of international law.”

The UAE has maintained throughout the war that the Gulf countries must have worked together in a stronger and more united manner to confront Iran’s attacks and the impact of the war.

Agreeing with his Qatari counterpart, Gargash said the partnership with Washington remained essential, but the war had shown why Gulf countries needed to do more to protect themselves and that the region needed firm guarantees that Iran would not attack its neighbours again.

“Our security is our first priority. When we depend entirely on others, we cannot always assume it will be their priority,” he said.

Qatar and UAE on the same page about Hormuz

The UAE president’s diplomatic advisor underlined the country’s firm position that it would not accept a single state’s control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and that it was unacceptable for oil tankers to be threatened and attacked while attempting to transit the key waterway.

“Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Gargash said.

In agreement with Qatar, the UAE official said navigation in Hormuz “cannot be subject to coercion.”

Gargash said the UAE is expanding ports on its eastern coast and developing pipelines, railways, and other routes for its exports through alternative routes, as its economy “cannot be held hostage”.

“Freedom of navigation is not a concession to be granted, nor a principle to be renegotiated under pressure,” he said.

Qatar’s Al Ansari said “the security of the Gulf is inseparable from global energy security, trade and maritime navigation,” echoing his UAE counterpart.

Al Ansari also insisted on “the importance of strengthening the Gulf Cooperation Council and building a more resilient regional security architecture grounded in collective security, diplomacy and deeper economic interdependence.”

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