Europe and the Gulf at a strategic turning point
fanny.pollet@i…
Wed, 03/25/2026 – 16:19
5 minutes
The US-Israel war on Iran is reshaping relations between Europe and the Gulf, bringing security to the forefront of the EU-Gulf relationship and exposing a growing convergence of interests.
The central strategic shift is a weakening of confidence in US security guarantees. Gulf governments had invested heavily in their relationship with Washington, both politically and financially. Yet this crisis has reinforced the view that Gulf interests can still be subordinated to Israeli priorities. Gulf leaders had signalled early on that they feared being left to manage the consequences of a war they neither wanted nor joined. That concern is now becoming more concrete.
This matters for the EU. As Gulf states reassess their external partnerships, the EU has an opportunity to deepen its role, both through investment and diplomacy and through more practical engagement on regional security, stabilisation, and technology cooperation. But the window of opportunity will be short-lived, and Europe will have to act with intent if it …read more