Tensions between the US and Iran have been mounting since Tehran’s brutal crackdown on protesters beginning in December 2025. According to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the country’s archenemies, the United States and Israel, are responsible for the unrest. For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been sounding the alarm over the threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons. “The Gulf states have a vested interest in maintaining stability in the region even by means of authoritarian structures,” he said, adding that the political elite of the Gulf states apparently prefers to rely on the familiar old regime rather than getting involved with a new, potentially unknown faction. Raabe in turn believes that Gulf states will continue to exert maximal diplomatic pressure on both sides as they fear that violence could spiral out of control as a result of an attack.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 31, 2026 14:55 UTC