Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
DC think tank advising US policy on Gulf Arab states amid escalating Iran conflict.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026
Can the Gulf states hold their patience as Iran targets their refineries?
Latest on Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
- What is AGSIW?
- The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank founded in 2014 and based in Washington, DC. It focuses on US policy toward the six Gulf Cooperation Council states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain.Source: AGSIW
- What did AGSIW say about Iranian strikes on Gulf energy targets?
- AGSIW analysts contextualised the IRGC's facility-specific strike warnings against five named Gulf energy sites as a shift from general threats to timetabled targeting, raising questions about whether Gulf States can absorb prolonged Iranian pressure.Source: AGSIW
- How does AGSIW differ from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy?
- AGSIW focuses exclusively on the six Gulf Cooperation Council states and US-Gulf relations, whereas the Washington Institute for Near East Policy covers the broader Middle East including Israel-Palestine. AGSIW was founded in 2014 specifically to fill the Gulf-specialist gap in Washington policy analysis.Source: AGSIW
- Why do Gulf states fund Washington think tanks?
- Gulf governments use Washington research institutions to shape US policymaker understanding of Gulf interests, particularly on energy security, Iran deterrence, and economic diversification. AGSIW's non-partisan standing gives it credibility with both Republican and Democratic administrations.Source: AGSIW
Background
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) is a non-partisan, non-profit research organisation founded in 2014 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It specialises in the politics, economics, and Foreign Policy of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. AGSIW bridges the gap between broad Middle East policy shops and Gulf-specific expertise.
AGSIW has been closely tracked as Iran escalates against Gulf energy infrastructure. When the IRGC issued facility-specific strike warnings against five named Gulf targets, designating Saudi and Qatari refineries as legitimate marks with hours-long timelines, AGSIW analysts contextualised the unprecedented shift from general threats to timetabled targeting. Iranian drones subsequently struck Kuwaiti refineries for the first time, a structural escalation AGSIW framed as a new phase of Gulf vulnerability.
The core question AGSIW tracks is whether Gulf States can sustain strategic patience. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned patience is "not unlimited" and that the Saudi-Iran normalisation agreement brokered in 2023 is now shattered. AGSIW advises a Washington audience on Gulf decision-making at precisely the moment those decisions carry global consequence.
