Gulf states, amid the conflict in the Middle East, have begun to question the reliability of US security guarantees, Time magazine reports.

As the magazine notes, it was a surprise to the states in the region that the US entered the conflict on Israel's side, but was unable to overcome its consequences. According to the article, the Gulf states have long believed that Washington has lost its consistent and effective approach to the Iran issue.

“Objectives shifted by the week, and an administration in a hurry to exit, even as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, left the Gulf Arab states feeling that they had been taken to war without being warned, consulted, or protected,” the article notes.

In the current situation, many countries in the region have returned to their previous policies, choosing the path of containment and de-escalation instead of confronting Iran. Qatar and Oman were putting pressure on the US, demanding that a peace agreement be reached as soon as possible. Kuwait and Bahrain were initially in favor of continuing the conflict, but later also supported the position of the other Gulf states.