With each ballistic missile or drone that Iran launches against the Arab states of the Gulf, those states draw closer to Israel. For it is Israel that in defending itself by bombing Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, its ballistic missile production plants, its storehouses of drones and drone manufacturing plants, as well as the senior leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij, is also protecting those Arab states from an aggressive Iran that has been attacking all of them — Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman — with great intensity.
Anwar Gargash is a senior adviser to the UAE’s president who recently addressed the Council of Foreign Relations. He concludes, unsurprisingly, that Iran’s attacks on the Gulf states is pushing them closer to Israel. More on his address can be found here: “Senior UAE official says Iranian attacks will drive Gulf countries into Israeli arms,” by Lazar Berman, Times of Israel, March 18, 2026:
A top adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president said on Tuesday that Iran’s attacks on Gulf states are pushing them closer to Israel and to the US.
“Iran’s full-throttle attack on the Gulf states will actually strengthen the Israeli role in the Gulf, will not diminish it,” Anwar Gargash said during a Council on Foreign Relations event.
“For countries that have relations with Israel, this is — you know, this relationship, in my opinion, will be even more strengthened,” he continued. “For countries that don’t have, I expect… that more channels will be open.”
Israel normalized relations with the UAE and Bahrain, another Gulf country, in 2020.
Since the US and Israel opened their aerial campaign against Iran on February 28, Tehran has attacked airports, ports, oil facilities and commercial hubs in the six Gulf states with missiles and drones while also attacking Israel and disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — the artery carrying about a fifth of global oil and underpinning Gulf economies.
The attacks have reinforced Gulf fears that leaving Iran with any significant offensive weaponry or arms manufacturing capacity could embolden it to hold the region’s energy lifeline hostage whenever tensions rise.
However, they have not joined any attacks themselves, as Gulf leaders remain deeply fearful of triggering a broader, uncontrollable conflagration.
Gargash said at Tuesday’s online event that his country could join an international effort led by the US to ensure the safety and security of the Strait of Hormuz.
The next day saw a major Israeli strike on the largest gas field in the world….
Just as the Gulf Arab states are drawing closer to Israel, so they have as well an enhanced appreciation for America’s ability to destroy Iran’s military infrastructure. Together, the “two best air forces in the world” — as Trump and Hegseth have called them — are wreaking havoc in Iran, with the Islamic Republic unable to mount anything more than the most minimal of air defenses. So far, not a single Israeli or American plane has been shot down, though one American Stealth fighter jet was hit and had to land quickly at a friendly airport.
Over the years, Iran and its regional allies have been accused of attacks on Gulf energy installations, not least a 2019 strike on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities — for which Iran denied responsibility — that halved Saudi output and rattled energy markets.
The Iranian strike in 2019 on Saudi Arabia’s oil production facilities at Abquaiq and Khurais showed Riyadh just how vulnerable Saudi oil fields are to Iranian attack; half of Saudi oil output was put offline, and it took two to three weeks for full production to be restored.
The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE — have held just one Zoom call, and no Arab summit has been convened to discuss coordinated action.
So far, there has indeed been no strictly Arab summit — a meeting of the Arab League — but on March 18, foreign ministers from both Arab and Muslim states met in Riyadh to collectively denounce Iran’s attacks on the energy sites (oil, natural gas) of Gulf Arab states. These countries included Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait , Qatar, and the UAE, as well as Arab states outside the Gulf —Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon — and three non-Arab states, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Now, with each new attack on their countries by Iran, Gulf Arab states have become ever more convinced of the mad malignity of Iran, and with each new IDF attack on Iran’s missiles and other weaponry, ever more certain that Israel is their surest protector. It’s quite a feat, in the annals of own-goal-making, to bring Israel and the Gulf Arab states closer together, but the Islamic Republic has shown itself equal to the task.
Tony says
Islam is a totalitarian ideology of deceit, discrimination, segregation, violence, and terrorism against all Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 3:54; 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15, etc.). Shia Muslims(eg. Iran) are brotherly enemies of Sunni Muslims(eg. UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc.). Sunnis ally with America to continue the Islamization of the West, conquest from within. This is a WIN-WIN for Sunnis and Shias because Shias gain Allah’s Garden in jihad, to kill and be killed in jihad, as taught in Qur’an 9:111. Allah in Qur’an 9:111 says, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers[Muslims] their souls and their money so that they may have the garden[Heavenly Paradise]. They engage in war for the sake of Allah[ie. Allah’s Cause to make Islam Supreme], so they kill and are killed…”. In essence, Muslims continue their conquest of the West.
Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed JIHAD with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” Allah in Qur’an 9:29 commands, “Engage in war with those who do not believe in Allah nor in the last day[Non-Muslims]. Nor forbid what Allah and his messenger forbid[in Islamic Law], nor believe in the religion of the truth[Islam] among those who have given the book[Jews and Christians] until they pay the jizyah[Extortion Payment] out of hand and they are subdued[disgraced].”
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I do not believe this closeness to Israel will endure. Once the islamic regime falls, there will be no threat from Iran, as per Reza Pahlavi, and so the other Arabs can then turn their hegemonistic attention to Israel. Although given their number of defeats at the hands of Jerusalem, they might hesitate
What might happen is that Turkey may decide to pick up that mantle of destroying Israel, and they’d get along a lot better w/ the muslim brotherhood, given that they are at least fellow sunnis. Then it would depend on whether the Arabs would be okay w/ being ruled again by a neo-Ottoman overlord if they can destroy Israel, or would they rather have Israel’s support in keeping out such a conquest. On this one, they are not unanimous: while countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Emirates, Egypt,…. have no desire to see Turkish power in the region expand, others like Qatar, Yemen, Somalia, Algeria,…. would have no issues w/ it
I just wonder how much of such decision-making would Israel be in any position to influence. Hopefully, they’d at least have a new ally in Pahlavi Iran
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Looks like a few of the IRGC missiles did land on Israel, injuring b/w 54-70 people, depending on JNS or Iran International. Hope that the US and Israeli air forces do a more thorough job in destroying Iranian missile launchers, and also that the injured recover soon
Wellington says
I believe, Infidel, that any such closeness to Israel that might occur due to the demise of the hideous regime which has governed Iran since 1979 will be wrapped up with Israel and America remaining so overwhelmingly powerful that the thwarting of Israel and America thereafter would not make any sense in the realm of Realpolitik.
Besides, there is also the “element” of what is lucrative, and Islamic religious zealotry can arguably be “tempered” by sundry material wants for Buttlims again and again. Oh yeah, even manly deluded Muslims (excuse the redundancy) can be tempted by the “pork and alcohol” that the West can offer.
Put briefly, Islamic nations, all of them, must be kept on a short leash one way or another because the entire Islamic faith is forever a menace to mankind and especially to the West (hey, most certainly to Hindu India too, no?).
ploome says
exactly, with islam it is hudna
“peace” is sura 9:29
humiliation and jizya
Cynthia says
Of course aligning with Israel is expedient. The hope that wealth will continue with modernity is alluring. But the west must be ever on its guard against jihad raising its ugly head.
Like the Statue of Liberty, we must “neither slumber or sleep”.
ploome says
is Qatar an example of “wealth and modernity”?
what is islam without jihad? The struggle to make islam supreme…and the mandate to destroy or humiliate and dominate all others?
OLD GUY says
Would Islamic countries side with Israel and America, you bet they will for their benefit . Islamic leaders know they will out breed us in a few generations and take over our countries from within. Our political leaders for what ever reason “MONEY” have allowed the migration invasion to take place. Now it’s just a matter of time.