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, Turkey and Pakistan have just signed a defence 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 defence needs ve

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, Turkey and Pakistan have just signed a defence 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 defence 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.