Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a fundamental challenge to the Gulf’s existing security model, arguing that hosting foreign military forces conducting wars against neighbours is incompatible with genuine peace and development. His message, delivered more than a month into the Iran-US war, goes beyond the immediate conflict to question the very basis of Gulf security arrangements. Tehran is making an argument that has implications well beyond the current hostilities.
The existing Gulf security model, built around extensive US military bases in countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman, has come under severe strain as a result of the conflict. American strikes on Iran launched from these bases have triggered Iranian retaliatory attacks on those same countries. The situation has exposed fundamental tensions in a security architecture that was designed for a different era.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian articulated Iran’s military doctrine clearly while making a broader argument about the incompatibility of hosting enemy military operations with peace and development. He appealed to Gulf leaders to reconsider their security model, arguing that denying enemy forces access to their territory was the only path to genuine regional stability. The challenge was both immediate and structural.
Pakistan’s diplomatic initiative has been one of the most active and credible responses to the conflict, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif engaging both Iranian leadership and other regional parties. Sharif’s meeting with Pezeshkian confirmed that Iran sees trust as the essential foundation for any formal peace process. Pakistan’s balanced approach has earned praise from Tehran.
A key multilateral diplomatic meeting in Pakistan is gathering foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey for strategic consultations on the war. Their discussions with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Prime Minister Sharif aim to produce a coordinated regional response. The talks are being described as one of the most consequential diplomatic gatherings since the conflict began.