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In Washington’s latest bid to unite regional powers in the Middle East, the Donald Trump administration has in recent months been quietly working to create a new security alliance in the Middle East -- the "Arab NATO" . The proposed alliance includes the six Gulf Arab states, namely Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, along with Egypt and Jordan. The US has made it amply clear that this alliance would be aimed at countering Iranian influence in the region.