Amman, Jordan | Oct. 30, 2026, 4:57 p.m. ET | 5 min read

The land and skies over the Persian Gulf have been internationalized: British and French warplanes overhead; Pakistani, Turkish, and Italian troops on the ground; Ukrainian interceptor drones and South Korean air-defense batteries at the ready.

As the United States reportedly warns its regional allies it might escalate its war against Iran shortly after midterm elections – for the Gulf Arab states, a “nightmare scenario” dragging them back into conflict – those allies are turning to an alternative for their defense: middle powers. A growing network of such powers from the Middle East, Europe, and Asia is coming to the Persian Gulf to bolster regional defenses and intensify diplomacy with Tehran.

The development coincides with a longer-term U.S. military withdrawal from the Gulf, damage to U.S. bases from Iranian missiles, and diminished interceptor stockpiles that have left U.S.…