Gulf states urge maximum restraint following US strikes on Iran
Home to multiple US military bases, Gulf leaders called for maximum restraint as strikes on Iran raise the possibility of wider war
Gulf states, home to multiple US military bases, were on high alert on Sunday with their leaders calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint following US strikes on Iran that raised the possibility of a wider conflict in the region.
President Donald Trump said US forces “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites with massive bunker-busting bombs in the early hours of Sunday, joining an Israeli assault in a significant new escalation.
Gulf leaders including the United Arab Emirates’ president, the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who had all hosted Trump last month for a tour of the region, discussed the serious implications of the escalation for international and regional security, the UAE state news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, was on a high-security alert after the US strikes, two sources with knowledge of the matter told reporters on Sunday, while Bahrain urged motorists to avoid main roads.
Kuwait, another key oil exporter, said its defence council would remain in permanent session, according to the state news agency on Sunday, and set up shelters in a ministries complex.
Tehran has previously warned that if it were attacked by the United States, it could target American assets in the region, including US military bases.