Iran War: Can the US Still Protect the Gulf? | This is America

In this episode of This is America, Anna Burns‑Francis and Phil Lavelle examine whether the United States can still guarantee security for its closest Arab partners as the US–Israel war with Iran spills directly into the Gulf. Despite decades of security cooperation and trillions in Gulf investment, states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait now find themselves under near‑daily missile and drone attacks from Iran—while questioning how far Washington is willing, or able, to protect them.

The programme features a report by Osama bin Javaid on how Iran is leveraging geography, missiles and control of the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Gulf states, exposing the limits of American power and pushing them toward diversification—greater strategic autonomy and potential new partnerships with China and Europe. Gulf elites increasingly debate in public whether the US military presence is still a security guarantee or an escalating liability as bases, ports and energy infrastructure become targets.

In the studio, former CIA official Norman Roule and former US Ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli push back against claims that Gulf states have been “abandoned,” arguing the US has invested billions, deployed carrier groups and shared advanced air and missile defence that has intercepted the majority of Iranian projectiles. They insist there is “no perfect shield” and that fighting Iran will always come at a cost—but maintain that, despite hedging and diversification, the US remains the Gulf’s least‑bad and only viable security partner.

The discussion explores whether Gulf nations should have expected more protection for critical infrastructure such as Qatar’s badly damaged LNG facilities, and whether Washington is better at waging war than building peace. The guests highlight growing drone vulnerabilities, the strain on expatriate‑driven “safe haven” Gulf economies, and the question of whether the US has the political will to “see this through” as Gulf leaders warn their patience is not unlimited.

Phil Lavelle also breaks down Western media and commentary—from Foreign Policy and CNN to CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Tucker Carlson and Foreign Affairs—showing how US analysts and strategists are now openly asking if America could “lose the Gulf,” whether Gulf states are being pushed to join a war they do not want, and what happens if Trump and Gulf leaders want out while Iran and Israel do not.

The episode closes with Alex Baird tracking the online fallout to Trump’s pledge to “massively blow up” Iran’s remaining gas fields if it hits Qatar again, and the shock that the world’s largest LNG hub could be attacked despite deep US–Gulf ties. As Iran warns of further destruction, the central question for Gulf capitals becomes unavoidable: can they still build their future around the American security shield—or must they adapt to a more uncertain, multipolar order in which even their closest ally cannot fully protect them?

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