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View all search resultsGulf states navigate US-Israeli war on Iran
The GCC countries are between a rock and a hard place as regards shaping the outcome of the ongoing Middle East conflict, assuming that Washington doesn't have a clear-cut strategy for the region.
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Smoke rises from the Fujairah oil industry zone in the United Arab Emirates on March 14, 2026, reportedly from burning debris after air defenses intercepted a drone during the United States-Israel attacks on Iran. (Reuters/Staff)
T
he United States and Israel have launched a war that the Gulf states invested heavily in diplomacy to prevent. Now they find their civilian infrastructure under daily attack.
If there is a silver lining to the war, it is that by retaliating so broadly, Iran has put to rest concerns about it stoking existing divisions among the Gulf states.
In recent months, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had landed on opposite sides of armed conflicts in Sudan and south Yemen. But now the Gulf is united in anger at Iran for its aggression, in frustration with the US for ignoring its warnings and in confusion about what comes next.
Iran’s targeting infrastructure and US bases across the Gulf reflects a deliberate strategy.
Commentators on Iranian state television have noted that Kuwait was a burgeoning global hub before 1991 but never fully recovered that status after the Gulf War. The Islamic Republic thus appears to recognize that forcing the US to return to the negotiating table requires not only disrupting global energy markets but also leveraging the damage it is doing to the Gulf’s reputation for safety and stability.
The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have no good options. Pursuing diplomacy too eagerly could anger a US president intent on absolute victory. It would also risk legitimizing a regime that has brazenly attacked the GCC on an unprecedented scale.
Increasingly, GCC countries are feeling frustrated at having lost their ability to shape key outcomes in their own neighborhood. This frustration has fueled speculation that the UAE, Saudi Arabia or even Qatar could act offensively against Iran, essentially joining the war. Near-daily reports, often of Israeli origin and always quickly denied, have alleged that such operations are already underway.
