Gulf states fear an emboldened Iran is taking advantage of a hesitant US

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.DUBAI—President Trump chose to look the other way after Iran launched three salvos of missiles and drones into the United Arab Emirates, one of America’s main Middle Eastern partners, despite a cease-fire he negotiated nearly a month ago.The likely conclusion in Tehran, Gulf governments fear, is that further escalation pays off because Trump is so intent on extricating himself from the war that he will ignore renewed Iranian attacks on America’s regional allies.European and Asian nations—allies and strategic adversaries alike—are watching this closely, too.Ever since the war began on Feb. 28, Iranian leaders have frequently repeated a phrase, attributed to the deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, that “those who wrap themselves in America are naked.” The feeling in the U.A.E.

and fellow Gulf monarchies after Tehran restarted the missile and drone strikes on Monday is that Mubarak might have had a point, diplomats and analysts say.Iran struck the U.A.E.’s only functioning oil export port, Fujairah, causing a fire and injuring three people, and fired ballistic and cruise missiles at other Emirati targets. In total, the attacks involved 15 missiles and four drones.Trump characterized the attack as minor, though it disrupted flights and forced the U.A.E.

government to close schools for the rest of the week.On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that, as far as Washington is concerned, “the cease-fire certainly holds.”A few hours later, Iran launched another attack, according to the U.A.E.’s ministry of defense.“Iran seems ready for the cease-fire to be broken down, and the U.S. is not, so it is a unilateral cease-fire at this point,” said Mahdi Ghuloom, a fellow at the ORF