Gulf states fear fiercer Iran retaliation if U.S. strikes again
A plume of smoke rises after a reported Iranian strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain, on March 12. | Bloomberg
Nov 2, 2026
Gulf states fear that another U.S.-Israeli attack on a better-prepared Iran could unleash an even more destructive war across the region, leaving them to pick up the pieces.
“We find ourselves drawn within a crisis that we worked diplomatically very hard to try to avert,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE’s president, told the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Sunday. “We are clearly seeking a political off-ramp.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. and Israel would “finish the job” in Iran. Trump has ruled out fresh strikes before Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, but has left open the possibility of renewed attacks while peace talks remain deadlocked.
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