Persian Gulf States to Form Joint Navy in Coordination with China | National Review |

The joint navy's formation may reflect the statement of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, who said that "the security of the Persian Gulf is provided by Iran and the countries of the region, and there is no need for you [the U.S.] or any other country to be present."

Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project and national-security and counterterrorism expert, told National Review that the navy may simply be charged with preventing piracy and drug-trafficking in the region, but "if this is meant to be a defensive navy, that's much more concerning .... This is intended, most likely, to snub the U.S., even Joe Biden. The U.S.-Saudi relationship has deteriorated over the years," he noted. "We've cozied up to Qatar. It's understandable that the Saudis are concerned over what appears to be a shift of American friendship."

Filitti also noted that China may have broader interests in the Middle East, where, apart from the Abraham Accords, America has kept its "head in the sand," and, "in the absence of leadership, China has stepped in." Beijing may hope to gain a peacemaker status that helps it access oil. China may also be "spreading us thin," in hopes of distracting and weakening the U.S. as Beijing contemplates eventually taking Taiwan.

UAE to welcome China president Xi Jinping in landmark state visit [_link] pic.twitter.com/KXU9GloJFo

— The National (@TheNationalNews) July 13, 2018

[...]
[Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani] also highlighted Abu Dhabi's recent withdrawal from the US-led 'Combined Maritime Forces,' a 34-nation task force headquartered in Bahrain, the home of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

"We previously had joint work with Oman, and now Saudi Arabia is heading in this direction, and there is also the UAE, Qatar [!], Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, and India," Irani said during a televised program on Friday night.

He did not elaborate on the shape of the proposed alliance.
[...]

During the June 6-8 trip, Blinken will "discuss US-Saudi strategic cooperation on regional and global issues and a range of bilateral issues including economic and security cooperation," the State Department said.

He will participate in a ministerial meeting on Wednesday with the Gulf Cooperation Council "to discuss the growing cooperation with our GCC partners to promote security, stability, de-escalation, regional integration and economic opportunities across the Middle East."
[...]

archived MbS hosts Jake "The Snake" Sullivan Entourage (08.05.23)

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs Daniel Benaim reiterated the administration's support for expanding the Abraham Accords during a briefing Friday previewing the trip.
[...]