Rashid al-Mohanadi, vice chairman of the International Policy Research Center,
said Iranian strikes have exposed the limits of external security guarantees and
prompted Gulf states to assemble an autonomous security architecture. Since
Iran’s first strike on Gulf territory in February, ceasefires have lasted only
weeks and a summer memorandum collapsed within a month; pauses have been
followed by drone attacks on critical infrastructure, closures of shipping
chokepoints and renewed bombardment. Gulf air-defence systems intercepted most
Iranian launches in February, but Iran still inflicted significant damage on
civilian facilities and exposed maritime vulnerabilities. Gulf restraint, often
read as passivity, is being pursued as a strategy built on credible defense that
preserves communication channels, including with Iran. Gulf countries are
structuring a four-layer security ecosystem: US/EU enablement, a GCC core force,
a broader regional partnership (R4 mechanism including Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan)
and a domestic defense-industrial base. Recent actions include a July 28
Saudi‑US joint airstrike on militia targets in Iraq and Saudi Arabia’s July 30
announcement of a 14‑nation maritime defense coalition to secure shipping in the
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The measures signal a shift from relying on external
security to “producing” indigenous security and reducing five decades of
dependence on outside security arrangements.
