Sputnik - During US President Donald Trump�s visit to the Middle East, he outlined his vision of the region�s future: to build an alliance of Muslim states to contain Iran and bring stability to the Arab World. But this plan has already shown cracks, as the would-be coalition members have already begun to bicker or pull out from the alliance.





"Until the Iranian regime is willing to�be a partner for�peace, all nations of�conscience must work together to�isolate Iran, deny it funding for�terrorism, and pray for�the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they deserve," Trump said in�a May 28 speech in�Riyadh.
The Washington Post claimed that Trump's ideal was a sort of�mini-NATO comprising the US-friendly Arab nations. A NATO-style alliance would mean a NATO-style constitution, most notably something like�Article 5, which would make an invasion of�one member state an invasion of�all of�them.


The $110-billion defense deal Trump signed alongside�Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz showed the financial incentives of�membership in�such an alliance. The Saudis, eager to�bolster their own standing the region and diminish their arch-rival Iran, certainly seemed receptive to�the idea.

The enemy of�my enemy is my friend, but�Iran doesn't seem to�be the enemy of�all US allies. Qatari state media sources claimed that Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani cautioned against�butting heads with�Tehran, and have expressed support for�Iran-backed groups such as�Hamas and Hezbollah.
This brings Qatar into�conflict with�the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates, both of�whom consider Iran to�be their primary foe. Doha claimed that the report was falsified, but�the Saudis didn't buy it and continuously decried Qatar in�their own state-run media. "Doha's insistence in�denying the issue is marginal because in�reality, on�the ground, Qatar confirms it adopts the policies that it is now trying to�deny," read a Monday editorial in�Saudi-owned newspaper Al-Hayat.


Qatar has always been the black sheep of�the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): while the Kingdom and the UAE consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, Qatar has traditionally backed them. When the Brotherhood seized control of�Egypt after�the 2011 Arab Spring, this caused a ripple effect that has soured Qatar's relationship with�the Saudis and Emiratis.

Some analysts have claimed that Trump's recent statements have opened the floodgates to�renew an old regional rivalry. "When Trump gave fulsome support in�Riyadh and said, 'let's isolate Iran' that sent a signal to�the UAE and Saudi, which felt emboldened and said: let's let loose everything we have on�Qatar," said Gerd Nonneman, professor of�International Relations and Gulf Studies at�Georgetown University in�Qatar.
With dissent in�the ranks of�their rivals, Iran is laughing their way to�the bank. Pro-government Iranian newspaper Kayhan wrote that the bickering was evidence of�the Saudis inability to "form an alliance against�Tehran."


A US diplomat in�Doha worried that, if the row continues, "the GCC could harm it own interests in�this fight and is at�risk of�becoming more vulnerable to�Iranian encroachment." Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will be meeting with�Saudi emir counterpart Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah in�Kuwait to�try to�ease tensions.

The hesitation wasn't limited to�Qatar. Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari said that his country "would never join the anti-Iran coalition" in�an interview with�Spanish newspaper ABC. Instead he pointed to�Turkey, which he accused of�illegally maintaining a military presence in�Iraq since�2015. Iran, the old enemy of�Iraq, is a comparatively insignificant challenge according to�al-Ja'afari.
Twenty-five hundred miles away in�Pakistan, Islamabad has been unreceptive to�Saudi and American offers to�join an anti-Iran alliance. Pakistan's government initially was happy to�participate in�the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance against�Terrorism (IMAT), but�they pumped the brakes on�that decision when the Saudis suggested IMAT would counter Iran as�well.


Pakistan threatened to�pull out�of the alliance entirely if that is indeed the case. "We are very clear that we will join this alliance only to�fight terrorism," said an anonymous Pakistani official to�The Express Tribune. Pakistan is unwilling to�involve themselves in�Middle Eastern intrigue, but�they also have benefited from�a strategic alliance with�the Saudis that they are unwilling to�jeopardize.