In the wake of the Abraham Accords, will Iran’s fear of a “Zionist presence” in the Gulf region lead it to carry out a Crimea-style invasion of Bahrain, risking a direct confrontation with the United States?

“Israel is right to be concerned,” said Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior Iran and financial economics adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noting that the Saudis have reason to seek out Chinese companies. “The Middle East is full of unstable governments, radicalized societies, apocalyptic militants and messianic politicians.”