Emirates Policy Center founder says Persian Gulf states weigh U.S. Iran sanctions against regional stability

The United States has imposed new or increased sanctions on Iran, and Persian Gulf governments are trying to determine how those steps will affect regional security, diplomacy, and day-to-day economic ties, according to an NPR interview published Tuesday. NPR’s Michel Martin asked the president and founder of the Emirates Policy Center, in the interview, how the UAE and other Persian Gulf countries view Washington’s use of sanctions as policy. The conversation centers on the practical problem Gulf states face: Iran is a close regional neighbor with which they have longstanding political and economic interactions, while the United States and its partners use sanctions to pressure Tehran and constrain Iranian activities.

Martin’s question frames the issue as more than a bilateral dispute between Washington and Tehran, tying it to how governments in the region interpret U.S. leverage and how they anticipate compliance requirements, spillover risks, and potential retaliation. The guest’s remarks, as characterized by NPR, describe the calculation Persian Gulf policymakers make when evaluating U.S. pressure tools, including whether sanctions advance negotiations and reduce uncertainty or instead harden positions and elevate risks on the ground.

The interview also reflects the wider Gulf concern that actions taken outside the region can affect local interests, from trade and shipping to energy-related financial arrangements. In NPR’s framing, the UAE and other Persian Gulf states seek a policy environment that supports stability while they manage their own exposure to Iran-related risks and enforcement scrutiny connected to U.S. measures.

As Washington’s sanctions policy changes, Gulf governments also face administrative and legal challenges, including how to align their commercial activity with U.S. requirements and how to avoid unintended consequences for firms operating across borders. The NPR interview focuses on those operational realities, emphasizing that Gulf leaders must weigh regional security priorities against the compliance and economic costs that can follow increased sanction pressure.

NPR published the discussion on Aug. 25, 2026, and it is presented as an exchange about regional perspectives rather than as a statement of official U.S. policy or a formal UAE government position. The guest’s comments therefore reflect one policy expert’s view on how Gulf states see the measures and what they expect sanctions to accomplish.

For readers tracking the development, the key next step is to compare these regional perspectives with U.S. officials’ stated objectives for the new sanctions and with how Gulf governments publicly describe their priorities. Because the NPR interview is a mediated discussion with a policy-center leader rather than an official government statement, the specific policy implications may depend on subsequent clarifications from U.S. agencies and from regional governments.

Beyond the immediate question of whether sanctions will change Iran’s behavior, the interview underscores that Persian Gulf states treat sanctions as a factor in the broader stability equation. That means changes in enforcement intensity, interpretation of compliance obligations, and the reaction of Iranian counterparts could all influence whether Gulf governments view U.S. pressure as reducing risk or increasing uncertainty.