Saudi-linked voices have reportedly told Al Jazeera that “America has abandoned us.” They accused Washington of prioritizing Israel’s defense systems, while Gulf states that had hosted U.S. bases were now exposed to Iranian missiles and drones.
The quote circulated on the social media platform X, and the implication was that decades of oil money and strategic partnerships did not guarantee security when it mattered.
According to the BBC, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed after a joint U.S.-Israel operation known as Operation Epic Fury. President Donald Trump said that the goal was for Iran to “not obtain a nuclear weapon,” and obliterate its missile industry.
As a consequence, Iran aimed its ballistic missiles and drones not only at Israel, but also at U.S. assets and allies across the Gulf like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia. A drone strike reportedly caused a fire at the U.S. naval base in Bahrain. Three U.S. service members were killed, and hundreds have died or been injured.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the strikes on his country, “Wholly unprovoked, illegal and illegitimate.”
🚨BREAKING: A clip of Donald Trump from 2024 is going mega viral: “I can tell you you’re not going to have a war with Iran with me as president.”
Truly curious if any MAGA voters are willing to admit they were played. pic.twitter.com/rR2FIRYqqz
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) March 1, 2026
Meanwhile, Israel hit command centers and military infrastructure in Tehran.
On X, a user wrote, “They were trusting Israel and the U.S. What were they thinking?” Another user posted, “I’m surprised that they are just now finding out about America’s priorities.” A third added, “Choose your allies wisely.”
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For decades, the U.S.-Saudi relationship has been transactional as the latter provided oil security in exchange for the former’s military protection. However, Washington’s bond with Israel has always been embedded in domestic politics.
While Saudi Arabia hosts U.S. military assets much like Qatar and Bahrain, Israel is America’s closest regional ally. Now that this crisis is being seen as a fight against Iran’s leadership and missile capabilities, the U.S. defense systems are protecting Israeli agendas.
Iranian retaliation reportedly included strikes toward Gulf states. The Strait of Hormuz was affected, and roughly 20 percent of global oil and gas are transported through it. So even though Riyadh hosts bases, it isn’t automatically shielded.
We compare and contrast Donald Trump’s campaign anti-war rhetoric with his current decision to bomb Iran in Operation Epic Fury. pic.twitter.com/OR8gtfYLWd
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 2, 2026
Military alliances are calculations at the end of the day. When Washington assesses threats, it weighs long-term strategy. If U.S. forces believe they can intercept incoming threats in the Gulf, they may do so without redeploying major systems.
As of now, the U.S. has not “abandoned” Saudi Arabia in a formal sense.
