WASHINGTON — News that the Pentagon can’t afford to keep more than one aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf is sure to rattle U.S. allies already uncertain of American resolve against Iran and upset with U.S. policies toward recent Arab political transitions.
Saudi Arabia and other key members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have grown increasingly reliant on informal American security guarantees and expensive US military hardware but are not in sync with Washington — or each other — on key regional issues, including the role of the Muslim Brotherhood and how to deal with Iran.