Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries face confirmed threats from Iran and Israel, both operating on a shared conviction that security requires regional subordination, fostering systemic instability. In 2019, drones and missiles struck Saudi energy facilities. By June 2025, US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites led to Iranian missile barrages on Qatar, mostly intercepted.
September 2025 saw Israel's first direct military attack on Doha, Qatar, killing a Qatari officer and derailing a Gaza peace initiative, prompting unprecedented US punitive action against Israel and a security guarantee for Qatar. February 2026 brought widespread Iranian missile and drone attacks across GCC states and Jordan, targeting civilian infrastructure like Ras Laffan energy facilities, aiming to create a global economic crisis by weaponizing Gulf energy and the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf states, prioritizing development and stability, have historically sought accommodation, but this has been met with adventurism. A robust, unified Gulf security architecture, accelerating GCC defence integration, enhancing intelligence sharing, and establishing conditional engagement with red lines for Iran and guardrails for Israel via US/European leverage, is now essential.
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