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.