The Gulf States have asked US President Donald Trump to continue the attacks against Iran until the Islamic regime ceases to be a threat to the region, according to a Monday report by The Associated Press.
According to Gulf and Israeli officials cited by AP, the Gulf States believe that Iran hasn't been weakened enough yet, almost a month after the bombing campaign against Iranian military assets began.
Gulf officials were especially insistent that the current situation offers a key opportunity to take out the Iranian regime, even after being hesitant during the begining of the war due to the short notice that they received prior to the Israeli and American joint strike.
The report also mentioned that officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain believe that there is a need to continue the attacks against Iran until the Islamic Republic is crippled enough for regime change or until it stops being a regional threat.
The report also pointed out that while there is consensus among the Gulf States in support of Operation Epic Fury, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently leading efforts to increase military pressure on Tehran.
On the opposite side, Oman and Qatar continue with their more "neutral" stance of supporting a diplomatic solution to the conflict rather than continuing assaults against Iran.
According to AP, Saudi Arabia believes that any deal reached with Iran would not be enough to guarantee security for the Arab countries in the region, with most estimates believing that, before any negotiation, there is a need to fully destroy Iran's nuclear program.
Netanyahu offers solution for Strait of Hormuz crisis
One of the main concerns for the Gulf States during the Iran war is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, something that Iran has managed to achieve through threats, alleged mines in the Strait, and attacks against "unauthorized ships."
Amid this crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a realistic, long-term solution to the Strait situation would be to reroute the Gulf pipelines through Saudi Arabia to provide possible direct access to the Mediterranean Sea.
"Long-term solutions include rerouting energy pipelines westward, across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea and Mediterranean, bypassing Iran's geographic choke point," Netanyahu explained in an interview with conservative US media outlet Newsmax.
Netanyahu also said in the interview with Newsmax that the war with Iran is "beyond its halfway point," although he avoided giving a precise end date for the war.