Trump Proposes 'Guarding' Middle East for 20% of Revenue

Former President Donald Trump has put forth a bold proposal suggesting the United States could serve as the official security guarantor for the entire Middle East region in exchange for 20% of its revenue. This unprecedented offer, detailed in an interview with The New York Times, represents a stark shift from decades of U.S. diplomatic and security policy in the region.

This transactional approach has drawn sharp criticism. Ryan Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, described the logic as "transactional to the extreme, to the point of blurring the line between diplomacy and protection rackets." Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted that U.S. presence in the Gulf has historically been framed around shared stability, not direct payment from sovereign states.

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transactional to the extreme, to the point of blurring the line between diplomacy and protection rackets

The financial implications are staggering. Given that hydrocarbons account for 60-70% of Gulf countries' revenue, 20% would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars annually for Washington. Middle Eastern economists consulted by Reuters deemed such a figure "politically unquantifiable and legally inapplicable."

The proposal emerged during a period of heightened tension, following a joint U.S.-Israeli military offensive against Iran. While Trump announced a cease-fire on June 14, 2026, which was later confirmed by Iran's deputy foreign minister, the official signing of a memorandum of understanding is pending. Trump, however, tempered expectations, stating that Iran would not receive sanctions relief or asset freezes until obligations are met. The agreement also aims to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open, though the memorandum reportedly only suspends potential tolls for 60 days, followed by further dialogue.

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the American presence in the Gulf has always been based on a rhetoric of shared stability, never on a bill sent to sovereign states