The five Gulf Cooperation Council states hosting US military installations found themselves directly in the line of fire within hours of the February 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran. By March 1, Iranian retaliatory attacks had struck targets across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman — transforming countries that had largely avoided direct involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts into active theaters of war.
Bahrain: The 5th Fleet Under Attack
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquartered in Juffair, bore some of the heaviest attacks. On the first day of fighting, a massive fire erupted at a Bahrain port facility near the naval base.
The attacks continued in the following days. On March 2, an Asian worker was killed by debris from an intercepted missile at Salman Industrial City. On March 10, a 29-year-old woman was killed and eight others injured when a residential building in Manama was struck.
By March 13, Bahrain’s military reported intercepting 114 missiles and 190 drones since the war began — a staggering volume of ordnance directed at a nation of fewer than 1.5 million people. The sustained nature of the attacks indicated that Iran viewed Bahrain’s military hosting arrangements as a legitimate target.
Kuwait: Casualties Mount
Iranian drone strikes targeted US military facilities in Kuwait from the opening hours of the war. The attacks inflicted casualties on both military personnel and civilians in the small Gulf state.
A young girl was killed from shrapnel injuries on March 4, becoming one of the youngest civilian casualties in the Gulf states. On March 10, the Kuwait Fire Force reported that two officers had been killed “while performing their duties” — an ambiguous statement that suggested ongoing emergency operations related to the conflict.
By March 13, the total death toll in Kuwait had reached six, with the prospect of further casualties as Iranian attacks showed no signs of abating.
Qatar: LNG Production Halted
Qatar, home to the massive Al Udeid Air Base — the largest US military installation in the Middle East — was struck by Iranian drones and missiles within the first 24 hours.
Smoke was observed over Doha from intercepted missile debris on the first day. The more significant economic impact came when QatarEnergy, the state energy company, announced a halt to liquefied natural gas production following an Iranian drone attack on infrastructure near its facilities.
Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of LNG, and the production halt sent shockwaves through global energy markets. The disruption to Qatar’s gas exports contributed to an immediate surge in global gas prices, with downstream effects reaching European and Asian markets within days.
Qatar subsequently closed its airspace, though 140 evacuation flights were organized to assist foreign nationals departing the region.
UAE: Markets Closed, Worker Killed
The United Arab Emirates, which hosts approximately 3,500 US troops at Al Dhafra Air Base, was also hit on Day 1. A Pakistani national was killed by falling debris from intercepted ordnance — a reminder that the Gulf states’ large expatriate worker populations were among the most vulnerable to the conflict.
The UAE took the extraordinary step of closing its stock exchanges — a move that reflected both the immediate security threat and concerns about market panic. Dubai, the region’s financial hub and a city built on the perception of stability, faced its most significant security crisis in decades.
Australia ordered the evacuation of its citizens from the UAE, signaling that Western governments considered the security situation to have fundamentally deteriorated.
Oman: The Quiet Target
Oman, which has historically maintained a neutral diplomatic stance and served as a backchannel between Iran and Western powers, was not spared. Iranian missiles and drones were reported over Omani territory, though detailed casualty and damage reports from Oman remained limited compared to its neighbors.
The targeting of Oman was particularly notable given the country’s long-standing efforts to maintain diplomatic relations with all parties in the region, including Iran.
Saudi Arabia: Interceptions
Saudi Arabia, whose relationship with Iran has long defined regional geopolitics, activated its extensive air defense systems in response to Iranian attacks. By March 13, Saudi forces reported intercepting 10 drones and destroying 28 others — suggesting a sustained campaign of attacks on Saudi territory.
The Saudi government’s response was measured in public statements, reflecting a country that had spent years pursuing de-escalation with Tehran under Chinese-brokered normalization agreements, only to see those diplomatic efforts collapse.
Economic Fallout
The aggregate economic impact on the Gulf states was severe. Stock market closures, halted energy production, disrupted shipping, and evacuation orders threatened to undermine decades of economic development premised on the Gulf’s reputation as a stable business environment.
The Philippines — a country that supplies millions of workers to the Gulf — announced a four-day work week and reduced car travel in response to the economic fallout from the conflict, illustrating how the war’s effects rippled far beyond the Middle East.
The Broader Pattern
The attacks on Gulf states revealed a central strategic reality: in a conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran, the Gulf nations that host American military bases became unavoidable targets. Decades of security partnerships with Washington had been predicated on the assumption that US military presence would deter attacks. Instead, that presence had made the Gulf states targets in a war they did not choose.