The Iran-US war is reshaping the Gulf in profound ways, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is demanding a regional realignment to match the new realities on the ground. His post on X told Gulf governments that continued hosting of US and Israeli military operations is incompatible with their security and development. The message came more than a month into the conflict, as the war’s regional impact continues to grow.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman have all been affected by the conflict through the presence of US military installations on their soil. American strikes against Iran from these bases have drawn retaliatory attacks from Tehran into those countries. The reshaping of the Gulf’s security environment is occurring rapidly, and governments in the region are scrambling to adapt.
Pezeshkian maintained that Iran does not engage in preemptive military action but will always retaliate when its economic or infrastructure assets are struck. He demanded that Gulf governments realign their strategic positions by refusing to host foreign military operations that are being used against Iran. His call for regional realignment is a direct challenge to the existing Gulf security architecture built around American military partnerships.
Pakistan’s diplomatic role in this reshaping environment has been praised by Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Pezeshkian told him trust must be built before any formal peace negotiations can proceed. Pakistan has organized a multilateral ministerial meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey to deliberate on strategies for de-escalation.
Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar will lead the discussions and facilitate meetings with Prime Minister Sharif. Tehran has welcomed Islamabad’s mediation efforts as a valuable contribution to the peace process. The Islamabad talks may provide the framework for a regional realignment that allows the conflict to move toward a negotiated resolution.