As missiles, warplanes and drones roam the Middle East and embassies are attacked and hotels and homes burned, supporters of the United States are clinging to the White House. In the meantime.
Since the US and Israel launched the 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 the world’s oil and natural gas production targets.
Other nations have already been forced to take action, including Qatar, which on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shot down Iranian planes after they entered the country’s airspace and were warned to leave as they headed for the capital, Doha, according to Reuters. 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 been a big mistake, alienating Tehran from angry neighbors, according to three Arab spokespeople with direct knowledge of the situation and public statements from the region. But as the war rages in the region with President Donald Trump signaling that there is no clear end in sight, questions are growing about how much the Gulf allies can take.
“We’ve been put in this situation; we have to deal with it,” an Arab veteran told NBC News. “Gulf countries have no choice – it was a big mistake for Iran to attack its Arab neighbors. People are angry. They should not have attacked our bases.”
Other US allies in the region were also 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 civilian areas across the region” in a statement issued on Sunday.
Qatar reiterated its call for “an immediate end to all escalating actions, a return to the negotiating table and efforts to contain the crisis in a way that preserves regional security, protects the interests of its people, and prevents the outbreak of wider conflicts.”
In Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council established a joint command center in Riyadh and began communicating with US Central Command about incoming strikes, an Arab spokesman said. But there is widespread anger at the attack on Iran, the spokesman said.
“It was irresponsible and inappropriate,” said one of the diplomats. “We have been very clear and communicating with them that we will not allow the US or Israel to use our airspace. We have told them that attacking anyone in our area is wrong – it is a crime.”
The CIA headquarters in Riyadh, in the US Embassy compound, was hit by a suspected missing Iranian jet on Tuesday, although no casualties were reported, according to a Gulf official. The attack follows an earlier attack on the embassy by two drones.
In the early hours of the US operation, there were concerns that Iran’s retaliatory strikes would come sooner and more widely than expected. But a former administration official said Iran’s strikes were within the scope of expectations and that Gulf allies had been more successful in intercepting Iran’s missiles and drones. Israel gained air superiority during the first 48 hours, which helped the US move in quickly thereafter.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a separate statement that Kuwait had asserted its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations constitution, which gives countries the right to “self-defense” in response to an attack.
The US has a long-standing defense relationship with Kuwait, and thousands of American troops are stationed there. US Central Command said six American service members were killed in an Iranian strike against a military base on Sunday.
Iran itself cited Article 51 in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shortly after the first round of attacks by the US and Israel on Saturday. Iran said responding to the violence was a “legitimate and legitimate right.” It added that it will use all its “forces and resources to confront this criminal violence and repulse the evil action of the enemy.”
One of the lawyers said that the region is settled and will support the US, united over Iran. “There is nothing we can do. We have to go along with whatever the US does,” said the official.
The United Arab Emirates and Jordan, both of which have been hit by explosions and fires in recent days, expressed concern over the US attack but condemned Iran’s retaliation.
After receiving a phone call from Trump on Monday, the Jordanian government said to X that King Abdullah II emphasized “the need to work to achieve complete and continuous calm that contributes to restoring stability and achieving peace in the region.”
His message echoed the UAE’s statement on Saturday, which called for “restraint and an approach to diplomatic solutions and serious negotiations, stressing that this is still the most effective way to overcome the current crisis and protect the security and stability of the region.”
