Arab States Face Impossible Choice as Iran and US Both Demand Their Loyalty

Arab states in the Gulf found themselves caught in an increasingly impossible position on Saturday as the US-Iran conflict intensified and both sides made demands that were difficult to reconcile. The United States expected its Gulf partners to host American forces and support the campaign against Iran. Tehran, meanwhile, launched ballistic missiles at the UAE, threatened to strike any Gulf energy facility with American ties, and called on Arab governments to expel US forces entirely. For Gulf states that had built their security architecture around the American alliance, the pressure was becoming severe.
The UAE’s Fujairah emirate suffered directly on Saturday when Iranian missiles struck near its major oil port, suspending loading operations and sending smoke into the sky. The UAE’s diplomatic adviser condemned the attacks as terrorism while insisting the country was still prioritising restraint and seeking a diplomatic solution. The response illustrated the painful balancing act facing Gulf governments: condemn Iran without triggering further escalation, maintain the American alliance without becoming a primary target, and keep the economy running while energy infrastructure burned.
The United States pressed ahead with its campaign. US warplanes bombed Kharg Island on Saturday, following a massive Friday assault. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished and called on allied nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. He named China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, framing the appeal as a collective defence of global energy commerce. Analysts said Trump’s call for allied warships was the first public acknowledgment that unilateral US action might not be sufficient to reopen the waterway, closed by Iran since February 28.
Israel conducted dozens of raids across Iran on Saturday, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan. Iran fired rockets at Israel in return. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Iran’s leadership was “desperate and hiding” and wounded. Iranian officials confirmed Khamenei’s injury but disputed its severity. The International Crisis Group warned the regime remained intact and capable of sustaining a prolonged campaign. The USS Tripoli and 2,500 additional marines were heading to the region, adding to America’s military options.
The human and economic cost of the war was mounting across the region. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed in the bombing. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis deepened, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in Iraq. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck overnight, and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. For Gulf states caught in the middle, the combination of Iranian missiles and American demands left little room for the neutrality they desperately needed.