Here is what Washington missed: the Gulf is not a chessboard where outside powers can “manage escalation” and still keep business as usual. The Gulf is a narrow geography with one choke point, one energy artery, and one unavoidable neighbor with leverage. When the Strait of Hormuz becomes the battleground, or even the bargaining chip, every Gulf capital eventually faces the same conclusion: you either build a working arrangement with Iran, or you live inside a permanent crisis. The US bases did not “solve” Gulf security—now they expose it For decades, the security bargain was simple: Gulf states host US forces, and the US deters threats. But deterrence is only real if it protects the host countries and the forces […]