When Secretary of State Marco Rubio touched down in Abu Dhabi on June 23 for his first visit to the Gulf since the Iran war began, he offered a telling description of his purpose. “We want to make sure their views are taken into account in every decision that we make,” he told reporters.
It was a welcome sentiment — albeit long overdue. Collectively, the Gulf states took the brunt of Iranian missiles and drones fired during the war. Critical energy, transportation and tourism sites were struck. Their economies suffered massive disruption from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America who served as national security advisor to former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Read the full piece in the Hill.