Are GCC countries looking for a regional security pact with Iran?

Gulf countries are stepping up diplomacy with Iran to avert a return to war as Washington warns of possible new strikes on Tehran and Iran-aligned Houthis attack Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities. On Monday, representatives of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Qatar met senior Iranian officials in Tehran; Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud attended. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi called for a regional security framework and a non-aggression pact between Gulf countries and Iran, with the United States no longer serving as their primary security provider. Such an agreement could ease tensions that have disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and global energy supplies, but its prospects and implications for US-GCC relations remain uncertain.