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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at showing solidarity with key allies hit hard by the Middle East war.
The visit comes after Gulf countries paid a heavy economic price for the U.S. and Israeli decision to go to war with Iran against their wishes, prompting Tehran to strike back at its regional neighbors.
Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off the majority of Gulf states' oil and gas exports, while its drone and missile attacks damaged their sense of security.
The attacks also undermined the status of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in particular as stable and peaceful hubs for business and tourism.
Rubio's trip will be the first visit by a senior U.S. official to the region since Washington and Tehran signed an initial deal last week aimed at ending the war permanently.
Rubio is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening before traveling to Kuwait on Wednesday and Bahrain on Thursday.
In Bahrain, he is expected to attend a meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The U.S. State Department said Rubio would discuss the agreement with Iran, efforts to ensure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and peace and stability in the region.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has taken the lead on negotiations with Iran, which began over the weekend in Switzerland.
Rubio has not yet commented on those talks.
Analysts said relations between the United States and Gulf governments remained strong, but regional leaders still had reasons for concern.
Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington said Gulf Arab nations feared Iran could emerge more powerful from the war.
"Few Gulf states believe the war should have happened in the first place, and they are all concerned that the United States empowered Iran as a result," Cook said.
H.A. Hellyer of London's Royal United Services Institute said Rubio was likely traveling to the region to reassure Gulf partners.
"I think that Rubio is probably going to try to reassure all of these Gulf partners ... we're here and we stand by you," Hellyer said.
He said the visit was unlikely to fundamentally change the situation because Gulf states were not seeking to push the United States out.
"The key variable that he can't shift them about is the actual reliability of the United States," Hellyer said.
The memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran provides for a 60-day negotiating period to secure a permanent deal, prolonging uncertainty for the Gulf.
The text says nothing about Iranian missiles or drones.
Gulf leaders have maintained close relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, during both his first term and now, pledging to invest billions of dollars in the United States.
However, analysts said Gulf states were left to face Iranian attacks on their own and are now looking for new partners, even as they recommit to Washington.
"They will deepen as much as possible their relationship with the United States, but at the same time I think what they will do is diversify their security relationships across the board, because they simply don't view the United States as being dependable and predictable," Hellyer said.
The Gulf states are also expected to remain focused on the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
Before the war, a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas traveled through the strait without charge. Iran is now pushing to charge some kind of fee for ships passing through.
Another issue is the nature of the $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran that last week's deal says Washington will undertake to develop "with regional partners."
"The United Arab Emirates is not aware of any alleged $300 billion fund and is in no way involved in it," an Emirati official told AFP on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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