The Persian Gulf is in turmoil. The war in Iran is altering the power dynamics in the Middle East.

(Jerusalem/Lahad News) The war between the United States, Israel and Iran is altering the alliance pattern in the Middle East. The Israeli side claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates during the conflict, and the meeting between the two leaders led to a "historic breakthrough" in bilateral relations.

On Tuesday (May 12th), US Ambassador to Israel Hacabi disclosed that Israel provided the "Iron Dome" anti-aircraft system to the United Arab Emirates and dispatched relevant operators during the war.

Israel has not confirmed Hacobi's claim, but the prime minister's office said on Wednesday (13th) that Netanyahu had made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates in March and met with the UAE President Mohammed. This meeting led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently denied the reports, but did not outright deny this visit. "The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public... not based on opaque or informal arrangements."

The United Arab Emirates and Israel are both important allies of the United States in the Middle East. During Trump's first presidential term, the two countries normalized their diplomatic relations in 2020 under the framework of the "Abraham Agreement" that he supported.

After the outbreak of the Iran War at the end of February, Iran launched attacks on the Persian Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, and as a result, the relationship between Iran and the UAE further deepened.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Larijani accused the United Arab Emirates of being involved in the attack on Iran and possibly taking direct action against Iran during a BRICS meeting in India on Thursday (14th). "The United Arab Emirates is an active accomplice in this aggression. There is no doubt about that."

Saudi Arabia cracks down on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq

The countries in the Persian Gulf have repeatedly criticized Iran's attacks and have taken countermeasures. Reuters reported that during the Iran War, Saudi Arabian fighter jets carried out air strikes against pro-Iranian militias in Iraq; and some sources said that Kuwait also launched retaliatory strikes against Iraq. Most of these actions were previously unknown to the outside world.

A Western official said that Saudi air force fighter jets targeted militia groups associated with Iran near the northern Iraqi border. Some of the air strikes occurred around the time when the US-Iran ceasefire agreement was reached on April 7th. It is known that the targets of the attacks were locations that had launched drones and missiles against Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries.

Reuters reported recently that Saudi Arabia had directly launched air strikes against Iran during the war as a form of retaliation. This was the first time Riyadh had targeted Iranian territory. Three people familiar with the matter said that the United Arab Emirates also carried out similar air strikes against Iran.

However, all the sources said that the hundreds of drones used to launch attacks in the Persian Gulf region all originated from Iraq.

The relations between the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf and Iraq have long been marked by suspicion. After the Iraq War in 2003, the Shiite political factions and armed groups that had close ties with Tehran gained greater power, making Iraq a key node in Iran's regional proxy network.

The US-Iraq war is currently on a ceasefire, but peace negotiations have been stalled since mid-April. Trump earlier rejected the latest negotiation proposal submitted by Tehran, claiming it was unacceptable. However, US Vice President Pence stated on Wednesday that he believes the negotiations are making progress, but also emphasized that these progress must meet Trump's "red line".