Iran Demands Gulf States Submit to New Regional Order Under Its Control

Mohammad Mohber, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a strong call to Gulf countries and the broader region to accept Iranian dominance over the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that the United States has proven incapable of protecting these states, urging them to acknowledge Iran's commercial and maritime hegemony. In recent weeks, Iran has been pushing for a new regional order that places it as the exclusive power in the Gulf, attempting to separate Gulf states' conflicts with the US from what it calls an internal regional issue, effectively forcing Washington to accept a fait accompli.

However, many Gulf countries have refused to accept this arrangement, leading to a shift from behind-the-scenes negotiations to open threats from Khamenei's circle. Mohber declared that if Iran's demands are not met, the leadership's strategy is to escalate the conflict into a prolonged, costly, aggressive, and regional war that will irrevocably alter the balance of power in the area. He emphasized that the US has failed to secure the Persian Gulf and that it is time to establish a new regional order in the Strait of Hormuz independent of White House considerations.