Dr Hasan Alhasan
Despite previously pledging neutrality and trying to avoid war, the Gulf states are bearing the brunt of Iran’s retaliation against American and Israeli aggression. Iran has fired at least 1,946 missiles and uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) against the United Arab Emirates alone, far surpassing the number of projectiles fired against Israel. In addition to targeting American military bases and facilities in the region, Iran is striking a wide range of civilian targets in the Gulf states, including hotels, airports, ports, and oil and gas facilities, imposing a growing human and economic toll on its neighbours.
Emirati diplomatic adviser Dr Anwar Gargash has stated that the Arab Gulf states can ‘no longer sit idle and absorb [Iranian] attacks against their facilities’, while Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dr Majed al-Ansari has said that Iran’s attacks ‘cannot go unanswered’ and a ‘price must be paid’. The United States has been coaxing and sometimes pressuring the Gulf states to join the war, largely to signal broader regional support for the US–Israeli campaign. US President Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the Gulf states are ‘aggressively fighting’ and ‘insist on being involved’, although they have repeatedly denied this. Trump ally US Senator Lindsey Graham has warned that ‘consequences will follow’ if the states fail to ‘get more involved’ in the war.
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