Also notable is the absence from the new committee of Bahrain, which has followed Saudi Arabia’s lead closely over Qatar and particularly distrusts Iran, which it accuses of backing armed opposition groups. Its absence will encourage the view that the council is really a forum for the two larger countries’ crown princes to exert their authority over the region.

“This development has been in process for two years, predating the Qatar crisis,” said Theodore Karasik, an adviser at the consultancy Gulf State Analytics. “But with the Qatar crisis the development is sending a very strong signal to Doha about the future of security architecture on the peninsula.”

The council has set itself 44 areas of co-operation, ranging from banking to arms manufacture and military co- ordination. “The aim of the council is to promote Saudi-Emirati stature on the global stage in a number of areas including the economy, political affairs, human development and security, as well as ensuring citizen welfare and happiness,” said Arab News, a Saudi newspaper published by King Salman’s family.

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