A New Attack, An Old Silence: On the night of June 13 Israeli fighter jets launched a large-scale strike on Iran’s key military and nuclear facilities. Top military generals, along with nuclear scientists, were killed in the attack. The Natanz enrichment site was hit, along with other military compounds across Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad. The attack was bold, coordinated, and devastating. It was the latest escalation in the already strained Israeli-Iranian standoff, but this time, it echoed far beyond Tel Aviv or Tehran.
The response, or more accurately, the non-response, of the Arab monarchies was louder than any condemnation. Where some Gulf countries issued hollow calls for “restraint” or “de-escalation,” carefully avoiding naming Israel, while others, more disturbingly, engaged in helping Western forces track Iran’s movements and deflect Iranian retaliation, according to international reports.
Iran will always be remembered, not for perfection, but for its courage. For being the only country that stood alone, against the world’s strongest powers, in defense of a besieged people. While others sold silence, it chose resistance. And that memory will outlive every forgotten monarch who watched from the sidelines
This silence in the face of blatant aggression is not new. We have often seen this as part of a historical pattern that now defines the relationship between the Arab monarchies and the wider Muslim world. The betrayal did not begin in 2025, it merely became harder to ignore.
The Myth of Muslim Unity: The idea of a unified Muslim world, or Ummah, was never as solid as textbooks claimed. When the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was formed in 1969, it was seen as a moment of Muslim unity. Yet the foundational promise of pan-Islamism was soon hollowed out by geopolitics, oil politics, and dynastic insecurities. During the 1970s and 1980s, Arab states did support causes like the Palestinian struggle and the Afghan resistance. But even then, support was not rooted in justice; it was tactical, designed to increase influence and contain rivals.
By the 2000s, the cracks in this brotherhood had widened into a chasm. The post-9/11 world saw Arab monarchies aligning themselves tightly with the West, each for their own interests. They watched silently as Iraq was invaded in 2003, as hundreds of thousands of Muslims died, as mosques were bombed, and as cities were flattened. Some even went as far as quietly cheering the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime, seeing in it a lesson for other “uncontrollable” Arab leaders.
We witnessed the same behaviour during the Arab Spring. When common Muslims rose for dignity and democracy across Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Yemen, Gulf monarchies felt threatened. The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially after their election victory in Egypt, alarmed Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which saw political Islam as a danger. They responded by backing Sisi’s military coup with billions in aid, crushing democratic hopes and exposing their true loyalty; not to Islam or its people, but to power, control, and Western approval.
Gaza and the Death of Moral Diplomacy: The betrayal deepened in 2023 and 2024, during Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. Over 30,000 Palestinians were martyred, many of them children. The world watched in horror as hospitals, schools, and refugee camps were targeted. Western governments, as expected, backed Israel unconditionally and called it “self-defence.” But the Arab world’s silence was more painful. While Türkiye and a few African Muslim nations condemned the aggression, Arab monarchies limited themselves to vague statements about the “need for calm.” None recalled ambassadors. None suspended trade. None imposed sanctions.
Some, like the UAE and Bahrain, which are the signatories of the Abraham Accords, still continued to deepen their ties with Israel even as Palestinian blood soaked the streets of Gaza. Saudi Arabia, though officially critical of Israeli actions, maintained backchannel talks with Israeli and US officials throughout the war. In the face of genocide, the guardians of Islam chose investment portfolios and defense deals over moral clarity.
The 2025 Attack on Iran: Another Betrayal: The same hypocrisy was displayed when Israel bombed Iranian soil in 2025, where many expected a regional outcry. Iran, after all, is a Muslim majority country, and this attack was a violation of sovereignty, of international law, and of peace. Yet most Arab states either remained silent or released hollow, non-committal statements. Worse still, news emerged that some Gulf countries had provided logistical support to Western forces to monitor Iranian military movement and intercept any retaliation.
Well, it really wasn’t very surprising. After all, the groundwork for this betrayal had been laid over the past two decades. These monarchies view Iran not just as a geopolitical rival, but as a threat to their religious authority. Shia-majority Iran presents itself as a revolutionary power that supports resistance movements across the Muslim world, whether it is Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Houthis.
This theological-political rivalry was cleverly exploited by Western powers. Israel and the USA framed their anti-Iran campaign not just as strategic, but as necessary for the stability of “moderate Arab allies.” And the monarchs, eager for more arms, investment, and legitimacy, went along.
A Brotherhood Built on Oil and Fear: The deeper cause of these betrayals is not really foreign policy, it’s internal insecurity. Monarchies like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and others are built on fragile foundations. Their legitimacy comes not from democracy, nor from religious authority, but from oil wealth and historical accidents. They fear uprisings. They fear elections. And they fear any narrative that empowers the Muslim masses.
This is why they oppose the Muslim Brotherhood. This is why they fear Iran. This is why they suppress dissent, ban protests, and jail critics. In their worldview, a free-thinking, justice-seeking, transnational Muslim identity is the greatest threat to their survival.
The West knows this and uses it effectively. Defense deals, surveillance technology, and diplomatic protection are offered in exchange for loyalty. The monarchs comply, and the Ummah suffers.
The West: United in Power, Divided in Values: What’s ironic is that while the Muslim world struggles to unite even symbolically, the West acts with remarkable coordination. When Israel attacked Iran, Western countries, from Washington to London to Berlin, spoke in one voice. They justified the attack, warned Iran against retaliation, and called for “de-escalation” in ways that clearly showed bias. Behind the scenes, intelligence sharing, military planning, and media narratives were all synchronized.
This is what power looks like: coordinated, unapologetic, and purposeful. In contrast, the Muslim world, with its 50+ countries, failed to even hold an emergency summit. There was neither any collective economic pressure nor global media campaign or any real diplomatic retaliation. Nothing but meaningless statements and silence.
Conclusion: The Cost of Betrayal: When history judges this generation of Muslim rulers, it will not remember their palaces or their GDPs. It will remember their silences, their betrayals, their deals with tyrants and occupiers, and their failure to defend the very people they claimed to lead. These rulers, despite their titles and wealth, will be forgotten by the same Ummah they abandoned.
But history can also remember something else: those who chose to speak when others stayed quiet. Those who refused to normalize injustice. For this reason, Iran will always be remembered, not for perfection, but for its courage. For being the only country that stood alone, against the world’s strongest powers, in defense of a besieged people. While others sold silence, it chose resistance. And that memory will outlive every forgotten monarch who watched from the sidelines.
