The Gulf states have said Iran's attacks on energy infrastructure won't "go unanswered" but, so far, they have not hit back. That stance could change soon.

After a week of tit-for-tat strikes there is no foreseeable end to the fighting and the Trump administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has already spilled beyond Iran's borders, as Tehran has responded by hitting Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US military installations and Israel has launched fresh attacks in Lebanon after the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah fired across the border.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that his comments about attacks affecting Gulf countries had been “misinterpreted by the enemy,” af.

The gas-rich Gulf nation is in a state of “strategic shock” after the war dealt a serious blow to its economy, sending ripples around the world.

Even before the Iran war, launched against Gulf Arabs’ advice, sentiment in the region toward Israel was souring over its Palestinian policies. But distrust has deepened over Israel’s conduct of the war,

The Iranian ambassador in London has warned the UK to be "very careful" about becoming further involved in the war. Seyed Ali Mousavi told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg his country would have a "right to self-defence" if the UK directly joined US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran ...

President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. military has begun a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas and Iran responded with threats on ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.