{"id":12858701,"date":"2026-03-03T19:18:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T00:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.philstockworld.com\/?p=12858701"},"modified":"2026-03-03T19:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T00:39:24","slug":"irans-targeting-of-airport-ports-and-hotels-in-reaction-to-us-strikes-has-forced-gulf-nations-onto-front-lines-of-a-war-they-want-no-part-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philstockworld.com\/2026\/03\/03\/irans-targeting-of-airport-ports-and-hotels-in-reaction-to-us-strikes-has-forced-gulf-nations-onto-front-lines-of-a-war-they-want-no-part-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s targeting of airport, ports and hotels in reaction to US strikes has forced Gulf nations onto front lines of a war –"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran\u2019s targeting of airport, ports and hotels in reaction to US strikes has forced Gulf nations onto front lines of a war they want no part in<\/h2>\n
By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen<\/a>, Rice University<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n
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Washington\u2019s allies in the Persian Gulf have found themselves in a position they have long sought to avoid: on the front line and bearing the brunt<\/a> of a widening Middle East conflict<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having been dragged into a war of choice by the U.S. \u2013 one which<\/a> many around the world<\/a> are calling<\/a> a war of aggression<\/a> \u2013 all six Gulf Cooperation Council nations have been struck by Iranian retaliatory attacks in response.<\/p>\n

Military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all been hit<\/a>. But the missiles and drones from Iran have been aimed at civilian infrastructure, too, including airport, ports and hotels in the opening days of U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In scale and scope, the barrage marks a major departure from Iran\u2019s previous response to being attacked by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. In contrast, during a 12-day war in June 2025<\/a>, Tehran only attacked one base in Qatar, and even then forewarned authorities in Doha<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, what is occurring in the region is a scenario that planners in Persian Gulf capitals have long warned about<\/a>: a deliberate attempt by Tehran to widen conflict and hit nations it sees as allied to the West.<\/p>\n

As an expert on Gulf dynamics<\/a>, I see the unfurling events as undoing years of work to de-risk the region<\/a> and placing in jeopardy the unique selling point and business models that have underpinned the Gulf states\u2019 global rise.<\/p>\n

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An intercepted projectile falls into the sea near Dubai\u2019s Palm Jumeirah archipelago on March 1, 2026.<\/span> Fadel Senna\/AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A cornered regime fighting for survival<\/h2>\n

Ever since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks<\/a> by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on Israel, policymakers in the Gulf nations have sought to avoid the regionalization of conflict.<\/p>\n

Qatar led the way in mediating between Israel and Hamas<\/a>, while Oman has done the same<\/a> with the U.S. and Iran. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has maintained regular dialogue with Iran<\/a> to de-escalate regional tensions.<\/p>\n

Each of the successive escalations between Israel and Iran \u2013 in April and October 2024 and then in June 2025, with the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes \u2013 brought the region closer to, without tipping over into, all-out war.<\/p>\n

But Iran\u2019s actions in the opening days<\/a> following what Washington has named \u201cOperation Epic Fury\u201d have signaled that the comparative restraint it showed during the 12-day war is firmly off the table.<\/p>\n

The Islamic Republic is now a cornered regime fighting for its survival. As such, it is lashing out and seeking to spread the pain to regional neighbors. The logic in this approach is that Gulf nations could put pressure on the U.S., which may fear the cascading costs of a prolonged regional conflict.<\/p>\n

Gulf nations are also obvious targets for Iran. With Iran lacking the capability to hit the U.S. mainland through conventional weapons, the American military bases that dot the Gulf region<\/a> are within the reach of Tehran\u2019s ballistic arsenal.<\/p>\n

Psychological impact on Gulf nations<\/h2>\n

The scale of the Iranian attacks on targets in the Gulf nations in the opening two days of the current conflict underscores the extent to which Iran\u2019s response now differs from that of June 2025: In the first two days of the conflict, Iran had fired at least<\/a> 390 ballistic missiles and 830 drones at the Gulf states. By comparison, the Iranian strike<\/a> on the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar last year involved 14 ballistic missiles and was a one-off attack on a single target.<\/p>\n