Damage control: Can US calm Gulf security concerns after Israel strikes?
Unprecedented Israeli air raids targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha have sown doubt among Gulf allies about Washington’s commitment to guaranteeing the oil-rich region's security.
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will push ahead with plans to finalize a bilateral defense agreement with Qatar in the wake of Israeli airstrikes that killed five Hamas officials and one Qatari security official in Doha earlier in the week.
The unprecedented Israeli strikes on the territory of a key US ally sent shock waves through Western-aligned capitals in the oil-rich Gulf region, raising fresh doubts about Washington’s commitment to its decades-long role as the security guarantor for Arab monarchies.
Seeking to reassure Doha, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Qatar as “a strong ally and friend” in a statement posted on Truth Social, adding that he had assured the country’s emir and prime minister “that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”
Trump’s statement further noted that he had ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “finalize the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar,” without elaboration.
