Caught in the Crossfire: How Five Gulf States Are Responding to Iran's Missiles on Their Soil

A Pakistani national was walking through a residential neighborhood in Abu Dhabi when shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian missile fell from the sky and killed him.

He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't near a military base. He was in the wrong place when his adopted country got caught between two powers he had nothing to do with.

That single death tells you everything about what happened to the Gulf states on February 28, 2026. Iran launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at US military bases scattered across the Persian Gulf. The targets were American. The soil was Arab. And now five countries — none of which asked for this fight — have to figure out what comes next.

What Actually Happened

The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran early Saturday morning. Operation "Epic Fury" hit at least 30 targets across Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, and Kermanshah. Nuclear facilities. Government buildings. The compound of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reportedly heavily damaged.

Iran's response came hours later. The Revolutionary Guard called it "Truthful Promise 4." Missiles flew toward Israel and toward every Gulf country hosting a US military presence. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE. Sites in Saudi Arabia's eastern province and Riyadh itself.

Every Gulf state except Oman got hit. Sea vessels in the Persian Gulf received radio warnings that the Strait of Hormuz was closed. Airspace shut down across the region. Dubai's airports suspended operations. The Burj Khalifa was evacuated.

None of these countries had agreed to let their territory be used for the US-Israel strikes on Iran. Saudi Arabia had publicly affirmed it wouldn't allow its airspace to be used. It didn't matter. Iran struck anyway, because the bases were there.

UAE: One Dead, Four Injured, and a Global Hub Shaken

The UAE intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles. Its air defense systems — likely the THAAD and Patriot batteries acquired from the US — performed well by official accounts. But debris fell on Abu Dhabi, killing one civilian. In Dubai, a Shahed-136 drone struck the Fairmont Hotel on Palm Jumeirah. Four people were injured. Dubai Civil Defence confirmed a fire that's now under control.

For a country that's built its entire brand on stability, luxury, and global connectivity, the images were devastating. Smoke rising over Palm Jumeirah. The Burj Khalifa empty. Airports dark.

The UAE closed its airspace immediately. It condemned the attacks. And then something happened that Bloomberg described as significant: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two countries have been on poor terms for months, feuding over Yemen and regional influence. That they spoke at all signals how seriously Abu Dhabi takes this moment.

The UAE hasn't announced military retaliation. It hasn't recalled ambassadors. But it hasn't ruled anything out either. The diplomatic signal is clear: fury at Iran, but no rush to join the American war.

Saudi Arabia: Strikes Repelled, Right to Respond Reserved

Loud explosions were heard in Riyadh. Iranian missiles also targeted Saudi Arabia's oil-rich eastern province. The Saudi foreign ministry said all strikes were "repelled" — intercepted before impact.

Riyadh's response came in layers. First, it condemned Iran's attacks on the other Gulf states, calling them "a flagrant violation of sovereignty." It offered to put "all its capabilities" at the disposal of the affected countries.

Then, hours later, it confirmed it had been attacked too. The tone shifted. Saudi Arabia said it "reserves the right to defend itself including by retaliating."

That phrase — reserves the right — is diplomatic code for "we're not retaliating yet, but don't test us."

Crown Prince MBS went on a phone marathon. He called the leaders of the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. He also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron. The calls with the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim, resulted in a joint statement urging "an immediate halt to escalation and a return to dialogue."

Saudi Arabia didn't side with the US. It didn't condemn the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran either. It condemned Iran's retaliation — specifically the part that hit Arab soil. That distinction matters. Riyadh is furious at Tehran, but it's not volunteering to become America's forward operating base.

The Kingdom called on the "international community to condemn these blatant attacks and take all firm measures necessary to confront Iranian violations." That's UN-speak. It's a push for multilateral response, not unilateral war.

Qatar: "Reserves Full Right to Respond"

Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base — the largest US military installation in the Middle East. It was a primary target. At least two missiles were intercepted over Doha in the first wave. A third wave followed.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that went further than most observers expected. It said Qatar "reserves its full right to respond in line with international law and in a manner proportionate to the aggression, in defence of its security and national interests."

That's the strongest language from any Gulf state so far. Qatar isn't just condemning. It's explicitly claiming a right to hit back.

Whether Doha actually will is another question. Qatar has long positioned itself as a mediator — between Hamas and Israel, between the Taliban and the US, between Iran and everyone else. It has back-channel access to Tehran that few countries can match. Going kinetic would burn that bridge.

Emir Sheikh Tamim's call with MBS focused on de-escalation. Qatar's airspace was closed. The country is navigating a razor's edge: hosting America's most important regional base while maintaining dialogue with Iran.

Bahrain: A Drone Through a Tower Block

Bahrain took the most visible hit. Iran struck the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Manama. Plumes of black smoke rose over the base. The government called it "a treacherous attack" and "a blatant violation of the kingdom's sovereignty and security."

Then, hours later, footage emerged of an Iranian Shahed drone slamming into what's believed to be the Era View Tower, a luxury apartment building near the naval base. Video showed a fireball erupting near the top of the high-rise, debris scattering below.

Casualty information hasn't been confirmed. But the images are searing. This isn't a military target. It's an apartment building.

Bahrain's Shia-majority population and Sunni ruling family create a domestic dynamic unlike any other Gulf state. Iran has long supported Bahraini opposition groups. The Bahraini government sees Tehran as an existential threat, not just a strategic one.

Of all five countries, Bahrain is the most likely to align firmly with the US. It already hosts the Fifth Fleet. Its relationship with Iran was hostile before missiles started flying.

Kuwait: Three Soldiers Injured, Runway Damaged

Kuwait's Defense Ministry confirmed that Ali Al Salem Air Base — hosting US and Italian military personnel — was targeted by multiple ballistic missiles. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted them, but not cleanly. Three Kuwaiti soldiers were injured by shrapnel. Italy's foreign ministry confirmed "significant damage" to a runway.

Kuwait closed its airspace and condemned the attacks alongside the other Gulf states. But Kuwait's public posture has been comparatively restrained.

This is a country that remembers 1990. It knows what it's like to be a small state caught between larger powers. Kuwait's instinct is to shelter under collective security frameworks — the GCC, the UN — rather than go it alone.

The GCC: United in Words, Divided in Options

The Gulf Cooperation Council issued a collective statement condemning "the nefarious and blatant Iranian missile attacks" as "a flagrant violation of sovereignty." GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi expressed "surprise" — a word that, in Gulf diplomatic circles, carries more weight than it might seem.

The GCC's Joint Defense Agreement states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. That's being invoked now, at least rhetorically. Whether it translates into coordinated military action is a separate question.

Here's the reality: these countries aren't monolithic. Bahrain will lean toward the US. Qatar will try to mediate. Saudi Arabia will project strength while seeking a multilateral path. The UAE will protect its economic brand above all. Kuwait will push for collective action through institutions.

None of them wanted this. All of them lobbied Washington for months to avoid exactly this outcome. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman — alongside Turkey and Egypt — ran intense diplomatic back-channels trying to prevent strikes on Iran. They failed.

What Comes Next

The Strait of Hormuz is the immediate concern. Vessels received closure warnings via radio from the IRGC, though there's no formal confirmation from Iran. If it closes even temporarily, roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade stops moving. That hits the Gulf states harder than anyone — their entire economic model runs through that strait.

Oil prices are spiking. Flight routes are rerouted. Insurance premiums for Gulf shipping are about to jump. The economic fallout will take weeks to calculate, but it's already undermining the diversification plans that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have spent billions building.

The deeper question: do Gulf states continue hosting US bases? Before Saturday, that was an implicit bargain — American security in exchange for basing rights. Now the bargain looks different. The bases didn't protect them. The bases made them targets.

No Gulf leader has publicly questioned the basing arrangements yet. But the conversation is happening in private. You can bet on that.

For now, five countries are counting their dead, repairing their runways, and making phone calls. They're united in anger at Iran. They're united in frustration with Washington. And they're facing the hardest strategic decision any of them have confronted in a generation.

What they decide — together or separately — will shape the Middle East for years to come.