Bahrain and Kuwait Conduct Secret Airstrikes Against Iran

Bahrain and Kuwait reportedly carried out secret airstrikes targeting Iran earlier this month.

According to Yonhap News on July 25, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) cited sources indicating that the two countries targeted key military facilities in Iran, including drone and missile storage sites. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is said to have provided intelligence and air support during these operations. However, Kuwait has strongly denied the report, while Bahrain declined to confirm it.

Previously, reports indicated that the UAE and Saudi Arabia participated in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran in early April, but this marks the first time Bahrain and Kuwait have taken direct action. Following the resumption of hostilities this month, Iran has shifted its focus from attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia to Bahrain and Kuwait. Given that Oman and Qatar are acting as mediators, these two Gulf states are essentially the only ones remaining within Iran's reach.

The WSJ described the airstrikes as "Bahrain and Kuwait's first direct retaliatory attack against Iran," analyzing that this reflects the difficult position Arab nations face amid the prolonged conflict. Countries that previously endured attacks from Iran are now confronting long-term threats to their security and economies, prompting them to take more proactive measures.

Dina Esfandiary, a Middle East analyst at Bloomberg Economics, noted, "The current state of war is their worst-case scenario," explaining that losing the image of a stable refuge in an unstable region would undermine their national development models. Gulf oil states, hoping to focus on oil exports and economic growth after the war, are currently experiencing direct economic damage at a level akin to "economic paralysis" due to Iran's blockade of the Hormuz Strait.

Consequently, the WSJ reported that Gulf states are weighing more aggressive responses to forcibly reopen the critical trade route of the Hormuz Strait.

Umer Karim, a researcher at the University of Birmingham specializing in Saudi policy and Gulf geography, assessed that "Gulf states have realized that the war will continue for the foreseeable future, which ultimately means they must confront Iran openly." He added that these governments are even considering the idea of regime change in Iran, as coexisting with the current regime would effectively mean succumbing to its hegemony.