Hope, and fear, as US Gulf allies look to Trump

Dubai : US Gulf allies are looking at Donald Trump to tilt Washington in their favour, analysts say, but fear a dangerous void if the incoming president goes so far as to tear up the Iran nuclear deal.

Still fuming after the nuclear agreement was brokered over their objections, Saudi Arabia and its fellow Arab states in the Gulf hope Trump will rebalance ties at the expense of their regional rival Tehran.

Washington's traditional allies in the Middle East are concerned, however, over the potential uncertainty of a radical move to go back on the deal with Iran.

"Eight years of (President Barack) Obama's administration destroyed the balance of power in the region completely," says Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser to the Gulf Research Centre.

Gulf states "hope now that under Trump the regional balance of power is going to be restored" after Obama "just ignored Iran's expansionist policy" in the Middle East, Alani says.

The oil-rich Gulf states have been highly critical of the nuclear deal, fearing it would lead to more regional "interference" by Tehran.

The Gulf monarchies oppose predominantly Iran in a range of conflict-ridden countries across the Middle East, from Syria and Iraq to Yemen and Lebanon.

Trump has also opposed the agreement, which lifted sanctions in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear programme.

He called it the "worst deal ever negotiated".