Air defence systems were activated this week in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan after Iran launched another wave of attacks it said targeted United States military installations. This escalation followed a renewed US bombardment of Iran’s southern coast, including areas near the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask, and Qeshm island.

The latest hostilities come less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at halting a war that began on February 28, following strikes by Israel and the US on Iran. Both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement, with tensions focusing partly on the Strait of Hormuz, where the MoU acknowledges Iran's control over international maritime traffic.

Simon Mabon, a professor of international relations at Lancaster University, told Al Jazeera that "the Gulf states are in a bind because they’re being targeted due to their relationships with the US, but their relations with the US and the presence of those bases have also meant that many of the attacks have largely been thwarted or their consequences diminished."

Al-Saif referenced a June 25 ministerial meeting between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gulf leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to regional security.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, expressed that confidence in diplomacy to end the crisis remains low, but emphasized that no nation in the region "can afford another long war."

The situation highlights the challenges Gulf countries face in defending themselves against Iran's increasingly frequent and sophisticated attacks, which put pressure on expensive interceptor missile systems amid the use of cheaper drones by Iran.

Sources