ERASING previously defined ‘red lines’, the brutal US-Israeli war on Iran has brought regional states face to face with several uncomfortable truths. Among these is the fact that an American defensive shield has not protected them from insecurity; instead, it has dragged them into the centre of the conflict.

Similarly, establishing relations with Israel has not normalised the situation in the Middle East; it has created even more instability, as Israel has been emboldened to jettison the idea of a Palestinian state, knowing there will be only muted reactions from its Arab and Muslim allies. So while the immediate need is for a ceasefire — as Turkish President Recep Erdogan noted on Wednesday — to prevent the entire region from going up “in flames”, regional states, including the Arab sheikhdoms, Iran, Turkiye etc, will need to discuss a new, long-term security architecture amongst themselves, one that does not depend on external actors. This may be the way to durable peace, as relying on outsiders to provide ‘security’ is a recipe for insecurity.

Many of the regional states had figured that hosting American bases would be their guarantee of security — the US maintains an imperial ring of military facilities across the Gulf, hosting thousands of troops. Instead, this arrangement has become a major liability as Iran, rightly or wrongly, has struck American assets based in the Gulf states. The US has not come to the rescue of its Arab allies, as the Trump administration tries to extricate itself from an increasingly chaotic war.

Similarly, the 2020 Abraham Accords that a number of Muslim states signed on to, thereby officially recognising Israel, have also become a liability for these states, as Iran has struck what it says are Israeli assets in the region, while also directly targeting the Zionist state. Clearly, recognising Israel without guarantees for a viable Palestinian state has failed to bring tangible benefits to Muslim supporters of the Abraham Accords.

Keeping these bitter truths in mind, once the US-Israeli combine stops its aggression, regional states need to sit down and talk. Iran, the Arabs, Turkiye and others must discuss all outstanding issues, for example territorial disputes, ideological differences etc, and attempt to reach an amicable solution based on respect for each other’s sovereignty. They must also pledge and work towards collective security.

Regional states must take responsibility for their own security, instead of outsourcing it to external actors who have no roots in the region, and whose only interest is to keep their weapons industries running fuelled by petrodollars. Perhaps the mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia can be used as an exemplar and be expanded to include other states in order to guarantee regional security.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026