Gulf allies privately urge Trump to keep fighting — Saudi Arabia and UAE say Iran has not been weakened enough

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf allies of the United States have privately made the case to President Trump that he should continue the war against Iran, arguing that a month of aerial bombardment has not weakened Tehran enough to ensure the Gulf states' long-term security, the Associated Press reported. The Gulf states are urging Trump to fight until the 'fall of the Islamic regime' and until Iran 'ceases to be a threat to the region,' per J-Post. This lobbying effort is running in direct opposition to Trump's D32 signals: declaring Iran 'essentially decimated,' pausing energy infrastructure strikes, and saying the war will end 'in two or three weeks.' The Gulf states' position is paradoxical given that they are simultaneously being struck by Iranian missiles and drones at record rates — Saudi Arabia intercepted 8 BMs toward Riyadh on D32, UAE engaged 48 projectiles in 24 hours, Kuwait's tanker was struck in Dubai. Yet despite absorbing these attacks, Saudi Arabia and the UAE apparently judge that the greater long-term threat is a surviving, hardened Iran that emerges from the war intact. Their calculus likely includes: Iranian nuclear program still partially intact (Natanz and Fordow not yet confirmed struck); IRGC organizational capacity not fully destroyed; Iran's proxy network (Hezbollah, PMF, Houthis) still operational; and Hormuz closure continuing to damage Gulf oil revenues. The Gulf states' lobbying adds a powerful regional voice against Trump's wind-down signals.