Militants entering the conflict carries risks of US or Israeli retaliation.
Security personnel stand guard as Houthi supporters rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 27, 2026. Photographer: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images
For Saudi Arabia, being caught in the middle of the war between Iran and its archfoes Israel and the US is the realization of a nightmare scenario the kingdom has long dreaded. The country, which sees itself as the economic and political leader of the Arab world and a beacon for Muslims everywhere, has long regarded Iran as a rival — and as a threat, one the previous Saudi king repeatedly asked the US to take on. But after the US did just that, Saudi Arabia has been alarmed to find itself dragge
For Saudi Arabia, being caught in the middle of the war between Iran and its archfoes Israel and the US is the realization of a nightmare scenario the kingdom has long dreaded. The country, which sees itself as the economic and political leader of the Arab world and a beacon for Muslims everywhere, has long regarded Iran as a rival — and as a threat, one the previous Saudi king repeatedly asked the US to take on. But after the US did just that, Saudi Arabia has been alarmed to find itself dragge
Iran’s biggest Gulf Arab neighbors are considering joining the US-Israeli war against Tehran, and could be pushed to if Tehran attacks their critical infrastructure, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.
Iran’s biggest Gulf Arab neighbors are considering joining the US-Israeli war against Tehran, and could be pushed to if Tehran attacks their critical infrastructure, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.
Plumes of smoke rise after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone struck an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates on March 14.
Donald Trump’s decision to back down from his threat to destroy Iran’s power infrastructure came after US allies and Gulf countries privately warned the president of the dangers of following through with his threat, according to people familiar with the matter.
Donald Trump’s decision to back down from his threat to destroy Iran’s power infrastructure came after US allies and Gulf countries privately warned the president of the dangers of following through with his threat, according to people familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, on March 23. Photographer: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Donald Trump’s decision to back down from his threat to destroy Iran’s power infrastructure came after US allies and Gulf countries privately warned the president of the dangers of following through with his threat, according to people familiar with the matter.
Donald Trump’s decision to back down from his threat to destroy Iran’s power infrastructure came after US allies and Gulf countries privately warned the president of the dangers of following through with his threat, according to people familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, on March 23. Photographer: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Western powers including the US, Australia, France, the UK and others have stepped up efforts to defend their Gulf allies from Iranian attacks, sending additional military assets to the region.
Western powers including the US, Australia, France, the UK and others have stepped up efforts to defend their Gulf allies from Iranian attacks, sending additional military assets to the region.
Smoke rises from the port of Fujairah following an attack on March 4.
United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned the country’s “enemies” not to mistake its prosperity for weakness, delivering rare public remarks as Iranian strikes on the Gulf nation continue.
United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned the country’s “enemies” not to mistake its prosperity for weakness, delivering rare public remarks as Iranian strikes on the Gulf nation continue.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirate's president, during a meeting with US President Joe Biden, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed will prioritize talks on economic ties ahead of geopolitics during his first trip to Washington as the country’s ruler. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia has stepped up direct engagement with Iran to try and contain a war in the Middle East that is causing havoc and stressing global markets, according to several European officials.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up direct engagement with Iran to try and contain a war in the Middle East that is causing havoc and stressing global markets, according to several European officials.
A driver stops as a smoke plume rises after an airstrike in Tehran on March 5.
Gulf Arab states have been taking the brunt of Iranian attacks in a war they didn’t start and never chose.
Smoke rises after an explosion in the industrial zone in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Oil surged for a second day as the US and Israel stepped up their war against Iran, with a fire at a key storage hub in the United Arab Emirates underscoring the risk to energy supplies.
Gulf Arab states are facing tough choices in the coming hours and days including the possibility of going to war with Iran, with the Islamic Republic intensifying its attacks on US allies across the region.
Gulf Arab states are facing tough choices in the coming hours and days including the possibility of going to war with Iran, with the Islamic Republic intensifying its attacks on US allies across the region.
An empty beach on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, on March 2.
US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace — set up to secure a durable end to the war in Gaza — will hold its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday with multiple barriers to overcome, not least the question of how to disarm Hamas and avert a resumption of full-on conflict.
US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace — set up to secure a durable end to the war in Gaza — will hold its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday with multiple barriers to overcome, not least the question of how to disarm Hamas and avert a resumption of full-on conflict.
US President Donald Trump speaks during the official signing of the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Lebanon’s government signaled it’s open to expanding its role in the US-led task force monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and stepping up efforts to disarm the Iran-backed militia.
Lebanon’s government signaled it’s open to expanding its role in the US-led task force monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and stepping up efforts to disarm the Iran-backed militia.
Nawaf Salam Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Lebanon’s premier said his government can overcome differences with the International Monetary Fund over a proposed law that would let depositors recover billions of dollars trapped in the country’s beleaguered banking sector.
Lebanon’s premier said his government can overcome differences with the International Monetary Fund over a proposed law that would let depositors recover billions of dollars trapped in the country’s beleaguered banking sector.
Residential and commercial property surround the blue dome of Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Lebanon's worst economic crisis in decades is forcing authorities to wade deeper into the kind of fiscal engineering that the International Monetary Fund said risks undermining the central bank’s credibility.
A standoff between the White House and Iraqi politicians over who should be the Middle Eastern country’s next prime minister is worsening, according to several people, with the rift threatening to destabilize the OPEC member.
A standoff between the White House and Iraqi politicians over who should be the Middle Eastern country’s next prime minister is worsening, according to several people, with the rift threatening to destabilize the OPEC member.
Nouri Al-Maliki Photographer: Hadi Mizban/AP Photo
As the country recovers from the disastrous US invasion, it’s being pulled between its neighbor Iran, which has built decades of influence, and a president who wants America to have more sway in OPEC’s second-largest producer.
As the country recovers from the disastrous US invasion, it’s being pulled between its neighbor Iran, which has built decades of influence, and a president who wants America to have more sway in OPEC’s second-largest producer.
Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Iraq’s prime minister, in Baghdad in November.
Saudi Arabia is finalizing an agreement on a new military coalition with Somalia and Egypt, part of its bid to curtail the United Arab Emirates’ regional influence.
Saudi Arabia is finalizing an agreement on a new military coalition with Somalia and Egypt, part of its bid to curtail the United Arab Emirates’ regional influence.
Saudi special security forces march during a military parade at a base near Mount of Arafat, southeast of the holy city of Mecca, on November 22, 2009. Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said the kingdom hopes not to have to "resort to force" to maintain security for the hajj, in a reference to worries Iranian pilgrims may demonstrate. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the globe have gathered in the country to perform the pilgrimage in the holy Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran has spent decades funding and nurturing a web of proxy militias across the Middle East for exactly this type of moment: The Islamic Republic is besieged by a popular domestic uprising and threatened externally by arch enemies Israel and the US.
Iran has spent decades funding and nurturing a web of proxy militias across the Middle East for exactly this type of moment: The Islamic Republic is besieged by a popular domestic uprising and threatened externally by arch enemies Israel and the US.
A masked militant, wearing Hezbollah's patch, with a rocket launcher during a parade of Basij and IRGC forces in Tehran. Photographer: Hossein Beris/AFP/Getty Images
Members of a Yemeni faction that led a failed secession attempt last month announced from Riyadh the group had dissolved — though the claim was declared illegitimate by the organization’s leaders in the United Arab Emirates.
Members of a Yemeni faction that led a failed secession attempt last month announced from Riyadh the group had dissolved — though the claim was declared illegitimate by the organization’s leaders in the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi-backed forces in Mukalla, Hadramaut province, Yemen, on Jan. 4.
Saudi Arabia is moving to end the role of the United Arab Emirates in Yemen and diminish its neighbor’s influence in other arenas, including the Red Sea, as tensions rise in the longstanding rivalry between the two Gulf powerhouses.
Saudi Arabia is moving to end the role of the United Arab Emirates in Yemen and diminish its neighbor’s influence in other arenas, including the Red Sea, as tensions rise in the longstanding rivalry between the two Gulf powerhouses.
Saudi-backed forces that took control of the Second Military Region Command on the outskirts of Mukalla, Yemen, Jan. 2.