{"id":205698,"date":"2026-03-28T23:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T23:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/worst-nightmare-anger-and-frustration-as-gulf-states-bear-brunt-of-war-they-did-not-start-us-israel-war-on-iran-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T23:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T23:16:20","slug":"worst-nightmare-anger-and-frustration-as-gulf-states-bear-brunt-of-war-they-did-not-start-us-israel-war-on-iran-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/worst-nightmare-anger-and-frustration-as-gulf-states-bear-brunt-of-war-they-did-not-start-us-israel-war-on-iran-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Worst nightmare\u2019: anger and frustration as Gulf states bear brunt of war they did not start | US-Israel war on Iran – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Closure of strait of Hormuz puts pressure on region\u2019s economies amid growing resentment about conflict started by US and Israel
Middle East crisis \u2013 live updates<\/a>
A<\/span>n eerie quiet hangs over Ras Al Khaimah\u2019s industrial port. Usually a thriving maritime hub of the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, now ships stand docked and silent. Not far out along the hazy horizon, a backlog of hundreds of tankers have lined up in recent days, halted along a waterway flooded with danger.
Any vessel heading past Ras Al Khaimah out to the Arabian Sea must traverse the world\u2019s most treacherous strip of water for shipping today: the strait of Hormuz. Just over 20 nautical miles from Ras Al Khaimah, two oil tankers heading for the strait were attacked by Iranian missiles this week, one catching fire.
On Saturday, Fujairah, the UAE\u2019s main oil port on its east coast, was targeted by a drone<\/a> attack, with thick black smoke seen billowing from its terminal.
It is one of the many consequences facing Gulf states as they are pulled deeper into a war that they did not start and had diplomatically tried to prevent.
For decades, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman have allowed US military bases, infrastructure or access on their soil, and have been among the largest buyers of American weapons and technology. In return, the US has stood as the Gulf\u2019s closest and most significant military partner and protector.
But now, Gulf states have growing concerns over the relationship<\/a>, analysts say, after Donald Trump was seen to wilfully torpedo peaceful diplomatic negotiations in favour of starting a war in the Middle East.
\u201cThe perceived Iran threat to the Gulf only became a reality when the US declared the war \u2013 Iran did not fire first,\u201d says Khaled Almezaini, an associate professor of politics and international relations at Zayed University, in Abu Dhabi. \u201cThere is strong condemnation of the Iranians but at the same time there\u2019s a message to the Americans and the Israelis that, well, we have to find a way to end this. This is not our war.\u201d
In the weeks before the strikes, Gulf leaders hosted negotiations and made repeated overtures to the US president, emphasising the severe consequences for regional security if he attacked Iran. Yet Trump chose to carry out the strikes, it is widely believed, without consulting or warning Gulf allies.
While the Gulf expected to be caught in the backlash, the scale of Iran\u2019s campaign of revenge has left many shocked. Gulf states had assured Tehran that none of their bases would be used for attacks but that has not stopped Iran launching thousands of drones and missiles targeting airports, military bases, oil refineries, ports, hotels and office buildings.
Aviation in the region remains highly restricted, with airlines losing billions of dollars. Bahrain is facing an economic crisis, while the UAE\u2019s reputation as a haven for tourism and western investment has taken a significant hit. States are successfully rebuffing most Iranian missiles and drones, but the interceptors and air defence systems are costing countries like the UAE upwards of $2bn (\u00a31.5bn).
Iran\u2019s violent blockade of the strait of Hormuz<\/a> \u2013 the only sea passage linking the Gulf with the open ocean and through which a fifth of global energy supplies are carried \u2013 has led to a drastic reduction in the oil and gas exports that bankroll Gulf economies. Experts estimate that between $700m and $1.2bn is being lost every day in oil exports.
\u201cThe UAE and GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] tried to stop the United States declaring this war because they knew the implications,\u201d says Almezaini. He pointed to the threats made by Iran\u2019s foreign minister only months earlier about the closure of the strait. \u201cNow that exact scenario is playing out,\u201d he adds.
The asymmetry of the Gulf\u2019s military partnership with the US has never been more stark, says Allison Minor, the director of the Atlantic Council\u2019s project on Middle East integration. It was only in September that Israel carried out airstrikes on Qatar, another US Gulf ally, which did not prompt any substantive action from Washington.
\u201cThe most fundamental question is one of consultation,\u201d she says. \u201cAre the Gulf states actually achieving the kind of partnership and security support that they feel is necessary if the United States is going to engage militarily in the region?\u201d
On Thursday, the Omani foreign minister, Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, who was the mediator in the previous Iran-US talks, gave some of his strongest comments on the conflict yet.
\u201cOman\u2019s view [is] that the military attacks against Iran by the United States and Israel are illegal, and that for as long as they continue to pursue hostilities, those states that launched this war are in breach of international law,\u201d he said.
Al Busaidi said the US decision to strike Iran while peaceful negotiations over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme were making progress demonstrated the conflict was solely an attempt to reorder the Middle East in Israel\u2019s favour.
Analysts emphasise that many Gulf states find themselves in a conflicting position: trying to bring down the temperature of the war while pushing for the US to finish the job in Iran and ensure they are not left with a worst-case scenario \u2013 a weakened, wounded and volatile Islamic republic on their doorstep.
\u201cThis is the Gulf\u2019s worst nightmare,\u201d says Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and north Africa<\/a> programme at Chatham House. \u201cThere\u2019s deep anger and frustration at the United States because this is not their [the Gulf states\u2019] war, and yet they\u2019re bearing the brunt.\u201d Vakil says Gulf states had long pursued a security partnership with the US similar to the one enjoyed by Israel, but had now realised \u201cthat may never happen\u201d.
Yet for all the recognition of the need to diversify their security partners, she adds, the Gulf currently has no alternative as its ultimate protector.
\u201cThe Gulf is not going to move quickly, nor can they, in finding alternatives to the US. But they\u2019re also not going to just double down with an unreliable partner,\u201d she says. \u201cIt will likely move forward in the pursuit of strategic autonomy, which has already been on the horizon, perhaps at a more rapid pace.\u201d
For all the geopolitical ramifications, the economic effects have also trickled down to ordinary life. Standing at the boat and jetski rental firm he worked for in the marina next to Ras Al Khaimah port, Sumon, 27, says business has been throttled because none of their boats are allowed out to sea by the coastguard.
\u201cFor many days, our boats and jetskis aren\u2019t allowed to go out because of all these problems and fighting with Iran in the sea,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s very bad news, we don\u2019t have customers and my boss can\u2019t give me a salary.\u201d Sumon points to the port opposite: \u201cNo boats are moving any more. No one knows when it will end.\u201d<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Closure of strait of Hormuz puts pressure on region\u2019s economies amid growing resentment about conflict started by US and IsraelMiddle East crisis \u2013 live updatesAn eerie quiet hangs over Ras Al Khaimah\u2019s industrial port. Usually a thriving maritime hub of the United Arab Emirates, now ships stand docked and silent. Not far out along the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":205699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-205698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}