Opinion: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman are pressing Washington to avoid a strike on Iran, not out of sympathy for Tehran but out of concern that military action, or a sudden collapse of the regime, would destabilize the Gulf and threaten vital infrastructure

The U.S. effort to exhaust negotiations with Iran has been driven in part by pressure from the Gulf states, Iran’s closest neighbors, which view a regional military confrontation as a direct threat to their security, infrastructure and economies.

At first glance, it might have been expected that Gulf states would push Washington toward military action against Iran, their primary strategic rival. Instead, they have largely avoided public statements, adopted a neutral posture and worked intensively behind the scenes to mediate between Washington and Tehran in an effort to prevent escalation.

For the Gulf states, the most immediate danger is an Iranian response directed at their territory. Energy infrastructure, desalination facilities, ports and, above all, U.S. military bases hosted on their soil would likely be prime targets. Memories remain fresh of the 2019 Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco facilities, Houthi missile fire at the United Arab Emirates in 2022 and Iran’s symbolic strike on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June 2025. This time, Gulf officials fear, the response could be far more severe.

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