Fresh US militarism in Persian Gulf spells trouble for allies head

The United States is building up its military presence in the Persian Gulf region and stoking tensions, contrary to its claims of a planned withdrawal from the Middle East.

Washington recently pledged to deploy the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole and 5th generation fighter jets to the region under the guise of supporting its ally, the UAE, in the face of retaliatory attacks by Yemen.

It also announced a possible $65 million sale of parts for Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK), Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) missile systems to the Emirates.

The UAE has invested heavily in the US defense systems which the tiny state has reportedly acquired at a cost of over $1 billion, but they are not enough.

In January, American forces at al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, home to some 2,000 US troops, twice opened fire with their own Patriot missiles to allegedly intercept retaliatory Yemeni strikes.

“The wars of the wider Middle East that long surrounded the United Arab Emirates now have encroached into daily life in this US-allied nation, threatening to draw America further" into the Middle East, the Associated Press said on Saturday.

US to send 5th-generation fighter jets to region in support of UAE aggression against Yemen

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announces a decision to dispatch 5th generation fighter aircraft to the region amid increasing retaliatory air raids by Yemeni Armed Forces on vital facilities in the UAE.

“Now, wedged between sunny commodities reports and morning banter, state-owned Dubai talk radio opens newscasts with the latest attacks. A new message in some commercial segments urges the public not to share 'rumors' — a reminder of how this autocratic nation that already tightly restricts speech has criminalized sharing any videos showing an attack or missile interception,” the AP said. 

Last week, the US launched a naval exercise in the Middle East, dubbed the International Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMX 22), bringing together the navies of the Israeli regime and allegedly 60 countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia.

The drill began from the US Navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, covering the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and North Indian Ocean.

"The exercise can be interpreted as an act of mischief with no objective other than increasing regional tensions at the current critical time, when talks are underway in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal," Nour News, a website affiliated to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said.

According to the Associated Press, "a promised deployment of the Cole and the advanced fighter jets means more American equipment soon will be in the Emirates”.

The situation is very similar to the US grandstanding in Eastern Europe, where American troops and military assets have been deployed amid Washington's claims of an "imminent" invasion by Russia. 

The alarmist measures have drawn even criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who has said the Western states are stirring up panic which is placing a heavy burden on the country’s economy.

As for the UAE, the US State Department has urged Americans to “reconsider travel due to the threat of missile or drone attacks.” The British Foreign Office starkly warned Wednesday that “further attacks are very likely.” France meanwhile will send Rafale fighter jets based in the UAE on “surveillance, detection and interception missions if necessary,” French ambassador Xavier Chatel said.

Yet bars and hotels in Dubai remain busy as the city-state welcomes travelers and business after conducting a major vaccination campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But keeping business going requires the UAE to remain calm, which it is making impossible through its continued involvement in the Saudi-led war on Yemen and allowing the US and other Western allies to stoke tensions with their military deployments. 

Many observers believe Washington is in fact trying to share the cost of its militarism with its allies by engaging their armies, rather than disengaging from the Middle East and elsewhere. This, they say, is recipe for further tension and insecurity. 

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