Peloni: Anni suggests that the Middle East is no longer afraid of Iranian dominance, but of an Iranian demise which sees the region engulfed in flames. As such, the Gulf states are looking to the US as a mediating power which can keep the post 12 Day War region from spiraling into such a scenario by negotiating with Iran, restraining Israel and giving the Sunni states nearly all that they request. Her conclusion is that by playing such a role, the US has made its slogan of America First irrelevant and replaced it with a Gulf First reality, as the stabilizing effort by the US revolves around supporting the Gulf states’ interests and not that of the US or its real ally Israel.
Behind Closed Doors: Panic, Economics, and a Collapsing Iran
Aynaz Anni Cyrus | Nov 28, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a global leadership summit on the end of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas at the Tonino Lamborghini International Convention Center in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, October 13, 2025. Photo by Daniel Torok – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia
The Middle East went through a twelve-day shockwave five months ago, a rupture that broke every old assumption about power, fear, and survival. Nations that once postured as regional lions are now whispering in Washington’s hallways like anxious shareholders at a collapsing corporation. And at the center of this panic sits Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, the man who spent the better part of a decade locking horns with Iran, suddenly presenting himself as a peacemaker between Tehran and Washington.
Read more…