Former US State Department official Marlin Hardinger said one cost the United
States would pay in a war with Iran is a loss of credibility. He noted Saudi Arabia
Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have just signed a defense agreement, which
Washington has long feared: if Middle Eastern states no longer view the US as a
reliable security partner or unwilling to intervene and provide protection, Gulf
states can form their own alliance. In the near term such an alliance could help
address urgent defense needs versus Iran; over the longer term it could begin to
erode US dominance in the Gulf, a shift Hardinger warned would be negative for
both Gulf countries and the United States in coming years.
