RIO DE JANEIRO, March 24. /TASS/. Washington's aggression against Iran has put into question whether Gulf nations can trust the US to serve as a reliable ally and guarantor of regional security, Brazilian political scientist Marcus Vinicius De Freitas told TASS.
"Iran has contributed to the decline of the perception of the US as a reliable ally. Many Middle Eastern nations are now asking themselves if Washington is a guarantor of regional stability at all or whether the US administration is selectively loyal [to its allies], prioritizing Israel?" he pointed out.
According to the analyst, regional economies have also begun to lose investment attractiveness. "The countries that used to think they were relatively protected, have now shown vulnerabilities as the [conflict’s] impact on the sectors of tourism and investment is already clear. <...> Restoring trust [in the Middle Eastern countries] may take years, perhaps up to a decade," de Freitas added.
US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that Washington and Tehran had held "very good and productive conversations" on ending hostilities over the previous two days. According to him, the consultations "will continue throughout the week." In this regard, Trump handed down instructions to postpone strikes on Iran’s energy facilities.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the IRNA news agency that Tehran had not held any talks with Washington but clarified its position to mediators.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.