In late August, Iran's Supreme Leader extended a written appeal to Gulf rulers, urging them to look past their rivalries and recognize what he called a shared external threat in the United States and Israel. The message arrived against a backdrop of maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's sustained push to loosen the dollar's grip on regional trade. It is, at its core, an old question dressed in new urgency: whether shared identity and shared grievance can outweigh the weight of existing alliances.
Khamenei urges Gulf unity against 'real enemy' in written message
The real enemy is the U.S. and Israel, not each other
Mark
So Khamenei is essentially asking Gulf states to pick a side—to choose Iran over the West?
Mimi
Not quite. He's asking them to recognize that the U.S. and Israel are the real threat, and that their security lies in unity with Iran rather than reliance on Western partnerships. It's a reframing, not a demand.
Luke
But what's the actual mechanism here? Does the message come with incentives, or is it just ideology?
Mimi
Both. He's linking it to economic pressure—specifically, moving away from dollar-based trade. That's concrete. But it's also an appeal to Muslim solidarity and regional autonomy.
Mark
And the Strait of Hormuz tensions—are those part of the pitch, or are they what makes the pitch necessary?
Mimi
They're both. The tensions demonstrate vulnerability and the need for stability. Khamenei is saying Iran can provide that stability if Gulf states stop seeing it as the threat.
Luke
Except Iran has been the source of some of those tensions. How does that argument hold up?
Mimi
It doesn't, necessarily. That's the gap between what Khamenei is claiming and what the record shows. But the message isn't addressed to Western audiences—it's addressed to Gulf leaders who might be persuaded that Western security guarantees are unreliable.
Mark
Do we know if any Gulf state responded positively?
Luke
The source material doesn't say. We know the message was sent and what it contained. Whether it moved anyone is still open.
Mimi
Which is exactly why this matters. It's a test. If no one moves, it suggests the existing security architecture is stable. If someone does, it could reshape the region.
Il Polso
- Khamenei's direct written appeal to Gulf monarchs signals a deliberate escalation in Iran's diplomatic outreach, bypassing public posturing for a more formal and private overture.
- Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz — where Iranian and Western naval forces have repeatedly come dangerously close — lend the message a sharp and immediate edge.
- Iran is pressing Gulf states to abandon dollar-denominated trade, a move that would erode American financial leverage and open space for Iranian economic integration.
- Gulf monarchies face a genuine test of alignment: their deep security ties with Washington pull one way, while Khamenei's appeal to Muslim solidarity and economic self-determination pulls another.
- The outcome remains unresolved — most Gulf states have historically chosen Western partnerships, and it is unclear whether this appeal carries enough weight to shift that long-standing calculus.
In late August, Iran's Supreme Leader extended a written appeal to Gulf rulers, urging them to look past their rivalries and recognize what he called a shared external threat in the United States and Israel. The message arrived against a backdrop of maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's sustained push to loosen the dollar's grip on regional trade. It is, at its core, an old question dressed in new urgency: whether shared identity and shared grievance can outweigh the weight of existing alliances.
In late August, Iran's Supreme Leader sent a written message to Gulf rulers calling on them to unite against what he named as the region's true adversaries — the United States and Israel. The appeal was a deliberate reframing: rather than casting Iran as a rival to its Gulf neighbors, Khamenei sought to position it as a natural partner in a broader resistance against Western influence.
The message landed amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian and Western naval forces have repeatedly come into close contact, reminding the region how quickly miscalculation can escalate. Khamenei used this volatile backdrop not to threaten, but to argue — presenting Iran as a potential source of regional stability rather than disruption, if only Gulf states would recognize their common ground.
Economics ran alongside politics in the appeal. Iran has long pushed for reduced reliance on the U.S. dollar in regional trade, and the message tied this practical argument to a larger strategic vision: that financial independence from America meant political independence as well. For a country under heavy sanctions, this was both necessity and opportunity.
The choice to communicate through a formal written message — rather than public declarations alone — suggested a seriousness of intent and an invitation for private deliberation. Yet the fundamental obstacle remained unchanged. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and their neighbors have built their security architectures around American military and intelligence partnerships, and no rhetorical appeal to shared identity has yet dislodged that foundation. Whether Khamenei's message finds any receptive ear among Gulf leaders, or quietly joins a long line of similar overtures, will become clearer in the months ahead.
Iran's Supreme Leader issued a written message to Gulf rulers in late August, calling on them to set aside their differences and unite against what he characterized as a shared external threat. The message, directed at leaders across the Persian Gulf region, framed the United States and Israel as the "real enemy"—a rhetorical move designed to reorient regional politics away from intra-Gulf rivalries and toward a posture of collective resistance against Western influence.
The timing of the appeal coincided with escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes and a flashpoint where Iranian and Western naval forces have repeatedly come into close contact. These maritime confrontations have underscored the fragility of the region's security environment and the risk of miscalculation. Against this backdrop, Khamenei's message sought to position Iran not as a destabilizing force but as a potential anchor for regional stability—if Gulf states would only recognize their common interests.
Economic pressure formed another layer of the appeal. Iran has been pushing Gulf nations to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar in regional trade, a shift that would weaken American financial leverage in the region and create space for Iranian economic integration. The message linked this economic argument to the broader political one: moving away from dollar-denominated transactions meant moving away from American dominance more broadly. For Iran, facing international sanctions and economic isolation, this represented both a practical necessity and a strategic opportunity.
The written communication reflected a calculated diplomatic effort. Rather than issuing public statements through state media alone, Khamenei chose the more formal channel of a direct message to Gulf leaders—a gesture that signaled seriousness and invited private consideration. The message acknowledged the reality that Gulf states maintain deep security partnerships with Western powers, particularly the United States, and that shifting those alignments would require more than rhetoric. It required an appeal to shared identity, shared threat perception, and shared economic interest.
What remained uncertain was whether the appeal would gain traction. Gulf states have long balanced relationships with Iran against their security partnerships with the West, and most have chosen the latter. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf monarchies have invested heavily in American military support and intelligence sharing. Khamenei's message tested whether economic incentives and the framing of a common enemy could shift that calculus, or whether the existing architecture of regional security would hold. The coming months would reveal whether any Gulf leader saw sufficient reason to move closer to Iran's orbit, or whether the message would be received as one more iteration of a familiar appeal that had not yet moved the needle.
Citazioni salienti
Khamenei characterized the U.S. and Israel as the 'real enemy,' urging Gulf states to unite against Western influence— Iran's Supreme Leader, in written message to Gulf rulers
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