Former U.S. State Department official Marin Hardinger pointed out that one of the costs the U.S. paid in the war with Iran was the loss of its own "credibility." Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have just signed a defense agreement. Hardinger stated that this is precisely what Washington has been worried about: if the Middle East does not consider the U.S. a reliable defense ally and is unwilling to truly intervene and provide protection, then the Gulf states have another option: to form their own alliance. In the short term, if this new alliance can help address Iran's pressing defense issues, it's not a bad thing.
However, in the long run, it could become the starting point for weakening U.S. dominance in the Gulf region, and such a change is unlikely to be good for either the Gulf states or the U.S. in the coming years.
