As missiles, planes and drones swarm across the Middle East and embassies are attacked and hotels and apartments set on fire, the United States’ allies are clinging to the White House. For now.
After the US and Israel launched strikes, killing Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top lieutenants, Iran has retaliated, hitting neighboring Gulf states that are home to US military bases and critical sites for the world’s oil and natural gas production.
Some nations, including Qatar, have already been forced to take action, Reuters reported, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying on Tuesday that Iranian jets had been grounded after they entered the country’s airspace and warned to leave as they headed towards the capital, Doha. Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Middle East.
Iran’s decision to retaliate across the Middle East has isolated Tehran and angered its neighbors, according to three high-ranking Arab diplomats with direct knowledge of the state of play and public statements surrounding the region. As the war in the region widens, with President Donald Trump signaling a clear end in sight, questions grow about how much Gulf allies can take.
“We are stuck in this situation; we have to deal with it,” a veteran Arab diplomat told NBC News. “Gulf countries have no choice – attacking Iran’s Arab neighbors is a big mistake. People are angry. They shouldn’t be attacking our bases.”
Other American allies in the region have been attacked, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all of which joined Qatar in condemning “Iran’s indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories across the region” in a joint statement released on Sunday.
Qatar reiterated its call for an “immediate cessation of all escalating measures, a return to the negotiating table and efforts to control the crisis in a way that preserves the region’s security, safeguards the interests of its people and prevents a slide into wider conflict.”
In Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council launched a joint command center in Riyadh and began coordinating with US Central Command on incoming strikes, another Arab diplomat said. But diplomats said there was widespread anger over Iran’s attack.
“It was unprovoked and unnecessary,” said one diplomat. “We have been very clear and communicated to them that we will not let the US or Israel use our airspace. We have told them that attacking anyone in our territory is wrong – it is a crime.”
The CIA headquarters in Riyadh, on the grounds of the US embassy, came under a suspected attack by an Iranian drone on Tuesday, according to a Gulf official, although no casualties were reported. The attack came after two drone attacks on the embassy earlier.
In the early hours of the US operation, concerns were raised that Iran’s retaliatory strikes had come more quickly and widely than expected. But a former administration official said Iran’s strikes have been within the expected range and that Gulf allies have been largely effective in intercepting Iran’s missiles and drones. Israel achieved air superiority in the first 48 hours, which helped the US move quickly.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a separate statement that Kuwait affirmed its right to defend itself under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which gives countries the right of “self-defense” in response to attacks.
The US has a long-standing defense relationship with Kuwait and thousands of American troops are stationed there. Six American service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a military facility on Sunday, US Central Command said.
Iran itself cited Article 51 in a statement from its foreign affairs ministry after the first round of strikes by the US and Israel on Saturday. Iran said it was a “legal and legitimate right” to respond to the attack. It added that it will use all its strength and resources to counter this criminal aggression and reverse the evil act of the enemy.
A diplomat said the region has been resolved and that it supports the US pulling together on Iran. “We have no choice. We have to go along with whatever the US does,” the diplomat said.
The United Arab Emirates and Jordan, which have been rocked by explosions and fires in recent days, have expressed concern about the US attack but condemned Iranian retaliation.
After receiving a call from Trump on Monday, the Jordanian government stressed the need for King Abdullah II at X to “work towards achieving a comprehensive and sustainable calm that will contribute to restoring stability and achieving peace in the region”.
His message echoed the UAE’s statement on Saturday, which stressed that “restraint and recourse to diplomatic solutions and serious negotiations is the most effective way to resolve the current crisis and preserve regional security and stability.”
