Iran’s drone and missile attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic facilities across the Gulf have drawn in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Iranian drones struck the US Embassy compound in Riyadh, causing a limited fire and prompting the suspension of services. U.S. citizens were advised to stay clear of the area. Hours earlier, another drone targeted the US Embassy in Kuwait, while ballistic missiles were fired toward installations hosting U.S. forces in Qatar and Bahrain.
Iran has expanded the theatre of conflict to include U.S. assets and critical infrastructure across the Gulf region. Previously, it was just hitting Israeli targets.
Military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been hit or targeted in the opening days of the escalation.
In Qatar, two missiles struck near the Al Udeid Air Base, home to U.S. forces, even as air defence systems intercepted dozens of other projectiles. In Saudi Arabia, authorities reported intercepting drones over Riyadh and Al-Kharj, while the Ras Tanura oil refinery temporarily halted operations after a strike nearby.
Tehran’s actions have also extended beyond strictly military targets. It has now started deploying drones to hit at the airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Manama and Kuwait City.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, authorized only a limited number of outbound and inbound flights as airspace restrictions rippled across the region.
QatarEnergy suspended operations at its flagship liquefied natural gas facility following reported threats and nearby strikes. Insurance premiums for vessels transiting Gulf waters surged after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned commercial ships against entering the choke point.
For the Gulf monarchies that have spent years branding themselves as stable hubs for global business and tourism, the psychological impact may prove as important as the physical damage.
Tehran’s Strategy
Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, former Indian envoy to Jordan, Libya and Malta, described the situation as “highly volatile and precarious,” arguing that the three principal actors: Washington, Tehran and Tel Aviv, are locked in a destabilizing spiral.
“Violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity has become routine, and diplomacy has been sidelined,” he said, warning of profound consequences for regional power balances and global supply chains.
Since Tehran is unable to strike the U.S. mainland, it is targeting American bases and the economic infrastructure of Washington’s Gulf partners to raise the price of continued military operations.
According to JNU academic Mudassir Quamar, the Gulf states are unwilling participants in a conflict not of their making.
“They did not want this war but have now become a party to it because of the Iranian tactics of expanding the length and breadth of the war,” he noted. While GCC countries are likely to avoid direct offensive involvement, they will continue deploying defensive capabilities to shield key infrastructure.
Quamar added that Iran’s strategy aims to pressure Gulf capitals into lobbying Washington for de-escalation. However, he suggested this may backfire by deepening mistrust.
“It further isolates the Iranian regime in the region and raises serious questions about security, stability and external dependence for the GCC,” he said.
Energy, Global Markets
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil shipments pass, has intensified fears of prolonged disruption. Even limited interference in tanker traffic has sent crude prices sharply higher and unsettled global markets.
Unlike previous confrontations, where energy infrastructure was largely spared, the current wave of attacks appears to test the resilience of oil and gas installations. Gulf officials are increasingly concerned that desalination plants and other civilian utilities could be next, a move that would directly threaten water security in some of the world’s most arid states.
The economic stakes are immense. Gulf airlines that function as global “super-connectors” face mounting cancellations, while cargo operations critical to regional supply chains have slowed. Business leaders in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi now confront the prospect that the region’s hard-earned reputation for stability may be eroding.
