{"id":49214,"date":"2026-01-28T18:13:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T23:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=49214"},"modified":"2026-01-28T18:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T23:13:22","slug":"war-drums-in-gulf-us-armada-arrives-as-saudi-arabia-uae-deny-airspace-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=49214","title":{"rendered":"<h2><b>War Drums In Gulf: US Armada Arrives As Saudi Arabia, UAE Deny Airspace Access<\/b><\/h2>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more-->ZeroHedge.com<\/p>\n<p>Things between Tehran and Washington are moving fast according to\u00a0<strong>an eerily familiar pattern hearkening back to the lead-up to the 12-day June war<\/strong>, when there was some wrangling over negotiations &#8211; and talk of good faith efforts at dialogue &#8211; just before the US greenlighted a surprise Israeli attack which also saw US entry into the conflict by the close of it (whereupon nuclear facilities were hit by American bombers).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our stance is clear,&#8221; Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Wednesday as the US has expressed the desire to strike a deal. &#8220;<strong>Negotiations don\u2019t go along with threats<\/strong>, and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IRAN SAYS WILL RESPOND TO US &#8216;LIKE NEVER BEFORE&#8217; IF PUSHED<\/li>\n<li>IRAN SAYS READY FOR TALKS WITH US BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT<\/li>\n<li><strong>OIL PARES GAINS AS IRAN SAYS ITS READY FOR TALKS WITH US<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">Araqchi confirmed his country has had no recent communication with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and has not sought talks with Washington. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that another US &#8220;armada&#8221; was moving &#8220;beautifully&#8221; toward Iran, but he hoped Tehran would ultimately strike a deal and avoid conflict.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images\" role=\"group\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/inline-images\/trumpiranaya.jpg?itok=KZYYRIlR\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"240\" data-entity-type=\"file\" data-entity-uuid=\"5a38d096-c358-401b-8360-e8c4e089fc7b\" data-responsive-image-style=\"inline_images\" \/><figcaption><em>via The Australian\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">The Iranian FM noted, however, that unnamed intermediaries were &#8220;holding consultations&#8221; and remained in touch with Iranian officials.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday that Tehran supports any process &#8220;within the framework of international law&#8221; that helps avert war.\u00a0<strong>The Saudis have joined the UAE in declaring that the US cannot use its airspace for aggression against Iran<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">This shouldn&#8217;t pose too big a challenge for the Pentagon, however, which has a build-up of assets at its Qatar base and with a carrier group near Iran in regional waters.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">But\u00a0<em>The Wall Street Journal\u00a0<\/em>disagrees, saying this could be a significant setback if the White House wishes to pursue\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/key-gulf-allies-say-they-wont-aid-u-s-in-an-iran-strike-limiting-trumps-options-47e1ce3d?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcCamhsYA8ilATnoL8KJmXClj6VNT23jW-UNp6IQ3kmFPWmPB9wofw0etmrjF8%3D&amp;gaa_ts=697a07ec&amp;gaa_sig=Fzdne3n-DBugFx--wqZDxtJ7ehAQAf5O5iXWdUO-eAM-oMi0n_wmXsW5BIJSrxXFy1lC07xdb5rP52tCFAQDcw%3D%3D\">war plans<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-type=\"paragraph\"><em>The declarations from the two Gulf states<strong>\u00a0represent a foreign policy setback<\/strong>\u00a0for the Trump administration as it seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran, which has defied Washington\u2019s demand that it halt uranium enrichment and end the suppression of protesters.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-type=\"paragraph\"><em>Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom\u2019s de facto leader, outlined his country\u2019s position while talking by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-type=\"paragraph\"><em>A Saudi readout of the Tuesday call said the crown prince had stressed that the kingdom\u00a0<strong>\u201cwill not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military actions against Iran.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-end=\"200\" data-start=\"0\">Previously, during Monday remarks, President Trump\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/26\/trump-iran-deal-strike-protests\">said<\/a>\u00a0&#8220;They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.&#8221; He added ominously,\u00a0<strong>&#8220;We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-end=\"238\" data-start=\"0\">US forces stationed across the Middle East are also meanwhile taking part in\u00a0<strong>large-scale war games aimed at showcasing combat readiness<\/strong>, as Washington ramps up its military footprint, and as Trump is presented with an array of &#8216;options&#8217;. All of this supposedly steps from Washington &#8216;concern&#8217; for large-scale protests from earlier this month, where thousands died &#8211; but which also included the deaths of police and security services.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"698\" data-start=\"240\">In a statement which kicked off the week, US Central Command said: &#8220;Ninth Air Force will be conducting a multi-day readiness exercise to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower across the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"698\" data-start=\"240\"><em>President Trump issued the following\u00a0<strong>&#8220;time is running&#8221;\u00a0<\/strong>out message Wednesday morning:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2016485531555623108&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fwar-drums-gulf-us-armada-patrols-saudi-arabia-uae-deny-airspace-access&amp;sessionId=61b98cecccb7c6897a46f6037262e75954201252&amp;siteScreenName=zerohedge&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2016485531555623108\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p data-end=\"698\" data-start=\"240\">The command added that &#8220;this exercise is designed to enhance asset and personnel dispersal capability, strengthen regional partnerships and prepare for flexible response execution throughout CENTCOM.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"1004\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\" data-start=\"700\">The sweeping drills are unfolding against the backdrop of sharply rising tensions with Tehran in which<strong>\u00a0an oil blockade<\/strong>\u00a0and potential strikes on senior officials in the Islamic Republic are being considered.\u00a0<strong>But in terms of blockades, two can play at that game<\/strong>, as the Strait of Hormuz remains among the most vital waterways for the global market, and the IRGC has threatened that its forces can shut it to international transit.<\/p>\n<p>____<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/war-drums-gulf-us-armada-patrols-saudi-arabia-uae-deny-airspace-access\">https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/geopolitical\/war-drums-gulf-us-armada-patrols-saudi-arabia-uae-deny-airspace-access<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}