Gulf States Urged to Overhaul Defences After Iran Conflict Exposes Weaknesses

Gulf nations face an urgent need to re-evaluate their massive military investments following widespread damage during a confrontation between Washington and Tehran, an assessment by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) suggests. The study questions the region's intense reliance on Washington and highlights the vulnerabilities of deploying costly systems against low-cost aerial threats.

In the period leading up to an 8 April ceasefire, twelve regional nations—largely concentrated in the Gulf—were targeted by 4,670 Iranian one-way attack drones and over 1,400 ballistic missiles. The United Arab Emirates was the target of roughly half of these strikes. While defenders intercepted most incoming projectiles, an estimate highlighted in the report indicated that energy infrastructure sustained up to $58 billion (£43 billion) in damages.

Gulf nations must overhaul trillion-dollar defence strategies as US military partnerships fail to prevent severe wartime losses.

The research outlines major shortcomings across regional forces despite trillions spent on American equipment. Key vulnerabilities include a lack of integrated regional defence, deficient minesweeping capabilities, restricted retaliatory choices, and the unsustainable economics of using costly air-defence systems against inexpensive drones and missiles.

Shifting Security Dynamics

The think tank highlighted that American military installations and agreements have not guaranteed sufficient safety against Iranian assaults, instead serving as a rationale for Tehran to strike Gulf territory. Local public opinion has simultaneously shifted, increasingly seeing the United States as a strategic liability rather than a protector.

Tehran would likely frame any eventual drawdown or departure of American forces as validation of its endurance while mocking the Gulf states' historic reliance on Washington. Meanwhile, US lawmakers are questioning the purpose of sustaining vulnerable positions in the area.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat serving on the Foreign Relations Committee, pointed out that an active debate is occurring within the US military concerning whether to reconstruct destroyed bases in the Gulf. Although regional rulers prefer Washington to rebuild and maintain an active presence, Murphy stressed the financial and operational futility of rebuilding sites that could be destroyed within hours of an outbreak of hostilities.

Murphy argued that Washington must shrink its operational footprint to assets it can realistically safeguard, adding that facilities situated in the eastern Mediterranean could require relocation farther from Iranian missile envelopes.