Iranian media say the United States is exploiting tensions in West Asia to create a fresh opportunity to extract wealth from Arab countries along the southern shore of the Persian Gulf.
According to Iranian media outlets, one example of the latest lucrative US arms deals with Gulf Arab states is the US State Department’s approval of the sale of four KC-46A Pegasus refueling aircraft to Qatar. The deal is valued at a striking $4.5 billion and includes eight PW4062 turbofan engines, 10 AN/ALR-69A radar warning systems, and various support and training equipment, the Iranian reports said.
At first glance this looks like a routine military deal, but Iranian media say a closer look, and a comparison with European rival aircraft, reveals what they describe as a deliberate pattern of economic exploitation. By fostering “Iranophobia” and a climate of manufactured insecurity, the reports allege, the United States is channeling vast sums from Arab countries in the region into its arms industry.
The most striking aspect of the deal, according to these reports, is the per-aircraft price. Including ancillary equipment, Qatar is paying more than $1 billion for each KC-46A — even though the US Air Force itself procures each aircraft for roughly $200 million to $322 million, the reports said. Iranian media argue that this gap between the export price charged to foreign allies and the US military’s own procurement cost points to a deliberate policy of extracting maximum value from Gulf countries.
The comparison becomes sharper still when set against the KC-46A’s European rival, the Airbus A330 MRTT, according to the reports. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates paid roughly $300 million per A330 MRTT — an aircraft that, the reports note, is not only high quality but can also be configured as an airborne hospital when needed. That means, Iranian media say, Qatar is paying more than three times what was paid for the European rival for an aircraft whose quality and performance face serious questions.
According to the reports, the KC-46A Pegasus is not only expensive but also one of the most troubled military aircraft in recent history. A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the aircraft has failed to meet its required readiness and mission-capability standards since 2019. Component failures, equipment shortages and various technical problems have forced the US Air Force to continue relying on its older KC-135 fleet, the reports said.
Among the aircraft’s major flaws, according to these reports, are problems with its fuel-delivery system and Remote Vision System (RVS), which have caused refueling difficulties for aircraft such as the A-10. The reports also cite a long list of other issues, including structural cracks, fuel leaks, two separate incidents in which the refueling boom detached during flight, and electrical system faults. Boeing has already had to absorb more than $8 billion in additional costs to address these problems, the reports said.
The question, according to Iranian media, is why Qatar would spend such an enormous sum on a troubled, controversial product — and they say the answer lies in what they describe as Washington’s long-running policy of stoking fear of Iran. By continuously fostering a climate of insecurity centered on Iran, the reports allege, Washington has effectively pushed Gulf Arab states into a position where the message is: buy weapons, or face danger.
The US State Department’s official justification for the sale is to help Qatar counter current and future threats and to ensure the security of a strategic regional partner, the Iranian reports note — adding that Washington has used similar justifications for decades of massive arms sales to Gulf Arab states.
In May 2025, Donald Trump announced a $42 billion US arms sale to Qatar during his visit to Riyadh, which included the KC-46A itself, according to the reports. They note that these enormous deals are being struck at a time when Arab countries in the region are grappling with falling oil prices and budget pressures on one hand, while spending vast sums on weapons of questionable effectiveness that could deepen their military and technological dependence on the other.
Taken together, Iranian media argue, the $4.5 billion KC-46A refueling aircraft deal with Qatar cannot be viewed merely as a military transaction — describing it instead as a clear example of economic exploitation disguised as security assistance. By exploiting the climate of fear around Iran, the reports contend, the United States is selling its expensive and controversial military hardware to Gulf countries in a dynamic that prioritizes the arms industry’s profits over genuine regional security.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report