The US Strategy Behind the Uzbek Delegation’s Visit to the Middle East
(Translated)

Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 564 - 10/09/2025 CE

By: Ustadh Abdul Aziz Al-Uzbeki

From 19 to 21 August, 2025, an Uzbek delegation headed by Foreign Minister Bakhtiar Saidov paid an official visit to Bahrain, Qatar, and the Sultanate of Oman. Official statements emphasized that these visits were aimed at expanding economic cooperation, attracting investment, and developing cultural relations. However, the lack of details suggests broader geopolitical objectives behind them, as Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman are countries of great importance to the United States and Britain, not only in terms of energy, but also from a military and geopolitical strategic perspective.

Qatar is home to the largest military base of the United States Central Command, Al Udeid Air Base. This base serves as a hub for US military operations throughout the Middle East, Afghanistan, and even the Indian Ocean.

Britain maintains a permanent air base in Qatar and is a partner with Qatar in joint military exercises and arms sales.

In addition, Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. American and British companies, ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP, are strategic investors in Qatar's gas sector. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) owns significant assets in London's financial center and the US market.

Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020, is home to the US Fifth Fleet, which monitors oil routes in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea, a critical element for energy security.

In 2018, Britain opened a permanent military base in Bahrain, the first in the region since 1971. Bahrain is considered a "military fortress" for the West in the region.

Oman lies on the southern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and gas passes. The US and Britain control international shipping lanes through the strait. In addition, Oman possesses significant oil and gas reserves. The port of Duqm, a major logistics and petrochemical hub directly overlooking the Indian Ocean, is of strategic importance to the US and Britain.

In general, these three Gulf States, facing in the directions of the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, represent the basic pillars of the American-British military energy architecture, and are considered protective pillars to ensure the security of the criminal Jewish entity.

During his visit to Bahrain, Saidov and his advisor, Munira Aminova, held negotiations with major companies. They discussed establishing joint projects in the field of agricultural chemistry with Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) and cooperation with the aluminum company Alba. Behind these companies lie the investment interests of the United States and Britain. America seeks to connect Uzbekistan to the global energy supply chain, and control its influence in the field of renewable energy resources, through the GPIC and Alba projects.

During the negotiations in Muscat, preferences and guarantees were offered in Uzbekistan’s industrial zones to major investors such as the Suhail Bahwan Group, MB Holding, and Bank Sohar. Given that Oman is an access point to the Indian Ocean and a region long controlled by the West on transportation routes, this presents an opportunity for the United States to channel Central Asian resources to global markets through its own channels.

The meetings with Qatar were extensive. During the talks with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, issues of trade, investment, education, and cultural exchange were discussed. The highlight was the first meeting of the Coordination Council for Strategic Cooperation between the two countries. This step was interpreted as a practical implementation of the strategic partnership agreement signed in 2024. In addition, an investment memorandum was signed with Qatar Mining Company, paving the way for cooperation in the defense sector.

Defense agreements with Qatar indicate that the United States is preparing to build a new security architecture in Central Asia as an alternative to the Russian regional security architecture. Furthermore, although the United States has withdrawn from Afghanistan, this is also linked to American use of Uzbekistan as a key “regional mediator” to maintain its regional influence.

Through the Uzbek delegation’s visits to Bahrain, Qatar, and the Sultanate of Oman, the West’s goals of expanding its influence in Central Asia via the Middle East, and gaining control over resources and geopolitical trends became crystal clear. This, in turn, aligns with America’s plan to organize the Middle East and Central Asia, within a single geostrategic framework under the Abraham Accords. In other words, ensuring the security of the Jewish entity throughout the Muslim region, linking the wealth of the Gulf and the resources of the Caspian Sea into a single geopolitical chain, forming a geopolitical belt comprising of Central Asia, the Middle East, and the West, and weakening the power of China and Russia.

America, which is launching relentless attacks against Islam and Muslims with the help of the Jewish entity and India in Gaza, the West Bank, and Kashmir, continues to construct the world as it pleases with the help of the existing regimes in Muslim countries. The Middle East and Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan, face the test of action as a crucial area in this regard. The only force that will prevent the head of kufr, America, from attacking our sanctities, our honor, our lands, and our wealth is the Second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood. Our salvation will only come through the complete application of Islam in our lives. Allah (swt) said,

[وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَكِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ]

“All dignity is for Allah, His Messenger and the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.” [TMQ Surah al-Munafiqoon: 8].