And while Saudi Arabia has become a major player in the US-Iran-Yemen conflict, massing allied troops on the border with Houthi territory and actively participating in the bombing of Iran, two Middle Eastern countries are beginning to falter—Kuwait and Jordan. This is despite the new alliance of 40 countries conceived by Saudi Arabia, which is expected to lead the meeting to establish a “Multinational Maritime Security Coalition” to strengthen defenses in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense stated that thirteen countries, along with Saudi Arabia, have expressed their support for the Multinational Maritime Security Coalition and welcomed the launch of “establishment procedures” for the creation of maritime defense organizations. The invitation has been extended to: Bahrain; Djibouti; Egypt; Jordan; Kuwait; Maldives; Pakistan; Qatar; Somalia; Sudan; Turkey; and the Government of the Yemeni Presidential Council (Aden).
But returning to the countries wavering over Kuwait, this is a case of “abandonment” by the United States. The Pentagon may, in fact, reduce its military presence in Kuwait following the Iranian retaliatory attacks. The United States is actively reviewing its strategic bilateral relations and military presence in Kuwait following the recent Iranian retaliatory attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal, according to senior US officials.
Since its independence decades ago, the United States has exploited the emirate’s oil-rich territory, transforming it into one of the largest logistics hubs for the US military worldwide, hosting thousands of soldiers, heavy artillery, and Abrams tanks.
Although intelligence assessments indicate that Kuwait has withstood recent Iranian military attacks, the broader escalation of the conflict has exposed serious vulnerabilities, undermined established security mechanisms, and forced a critical review following unprecedented missile and drone attacks on regional bases. In response to Iran’s continued attacks on military infrastructure, Pentagon leaders are actively working to reduce their presence, reduce personnel, and withdraw resources from Kuwait.
U.S. War Department officials told the Wall Street Journal that this strategic shift is aimed at minimizing risks and reducing operational threats. Kuwaiti authorities continue to demand robust security guarantees from Washington; if this were to happen, Kuwait would be unable to resist Iranian pressure for long.
In Jordan, however, discontent is emerging from within: hundreds of Jordanian political, legal, and public figures have signed an open letter calling for the withdrawal of American forces from Jordan.
The New York Times published the story, noting that it is “a rare case of public protest in a kingdom where any opposition is repressed.” The signatories believe the presence of American forces poses a threat to the country’s security, political stability, and economy, and that it is dragging Jordan into a war it does not want to fight. Most Jordanian media outlets have refused to publish the letter, and organizers warn that the signatories could face jail time.
The newspaper highlights growing discontent over Iran’s ongoing bombing of some 4,000 American soldiers stationed in Jordan, with air raid sirens blaring across the country and “shrapnel from intercepted missiles falling on populated areas.” This week, a member of parliament was silenced when he proposed offering condolences to American soldiers killed in Jordan. Another member of parliament accused the US military of killing “children, women, and the elderly.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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