Gulf nations complain U.S. lacked notice before Iran drone strikes

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Gulf Arab allies are expressing mounting discontent over the way the Trump administration handled the early phase of the war with Iran, including complaints that they were not warned in advance and were left to absorb much of the fallout from Iranian drone and missile attacks, according to officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Two officials from Gulf countries said their governments were disappointed in the handling of the conflict, particularly the initial U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb. 28. They said their countries were not given adequate time to prepare and that the United States ignored their warnings that the war would have “devastating” consequences for the wider region.

One of the officials said Gulf governments were frustrated—at times, even angry—that they believe the operation has concentrated on defending Israel and American troops while leaving Gulf countries to protect themselves. The official also said there was a belief in the region that their air-defense posture was being overwhelmed and that the stock of interceptors was “rapidly depleting.”

The discontent has also appeared in more public remarks from figures with close ties to Gulf governments, even as official reactions were muted. Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence chief, told CNN on Wednesday that “This is Netanyahu’s war,” adding that he believed the Israeli prime minister “somehow convinced the president (Trump) to support his views.” (MSI previously reported how the U.S. and Israel escalated from talks toward strikes as Trump signaled willingness to engage Iran ….)

While the Pentagon did not respond to AP’s request for comment, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the administration’s posture. She said, “Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% because Operation Epic Fury is crushing their ability to shoot these weapons or produce more.” She also said Trump was “in close contact with all of our regional partners,” and she described Iran as a “terrorist” threat whose elimination, she said, was imperative for U.S. allies.

In closed-door briefings with lawmakers, U.S. officials acknowledged limitations in the U.S. ability to intercept the scale of incoming aircraft, according to three people familiar with the briefings. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers the U.S. would not be able to intercept many of the incoming UAVs—especially Shaheds—leaving some U.S. targets in the Gulf region, including troops, vulnerable, the people familiar with the briefings said.

AP reported that it has tallied the attacks based on official statements. Since the start of the war, Iran has fired at least 380 missiles and more than 1,480 drones targeting five Arab Gulf countries, according to the AP tally. Local officials told AP that at least 13 people have been killed in those countries, and AP reported that six U.S. soldiers were killed in Kuwait on Sunday when an Iranian drone strike hit an operations center in a civilian port more than 10 miles from the main Army base.

AP also reported that the attacks have reached diplomatic facilities, with drone strikes in Saudi Arabia causing a limited fire at the embassy in Riyadh and another drone strike in the United Arab Emirates sparking a small fire outside the U.S. consulate in Dubai. In response to the threat, the U.S. and its Middle East allies sought help from Ukraine, which has counter-drone expertise, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. When asked about Zelenskyy’s comments, Trump told Reuters on Thursday, “Certainly, I’ll take, you know, any assistance from any country.”

Analysts and former U.S. officials said the Gulf complaints reflect assumptions about what targets Iran would prioritize and how quickly defense postures could adjust. Bader Mousa Al-Saif, a Kuwait-based analyst with Chatham House, said the U.S. appeared to have underestimated the risk to Gulf Arab allies, saying officials believed American troops and Israel would be the primary targets of Iranian retaliation and that the lack of a plan to protect the Gulf countries “speaks to U.S. short-sightedness.” Elliott Abrams, who served as a special representative for Iran and Venezuela at the end of Trump’s first term, said U.S. officials and Gulf allies were aware Iran had the capability to carry out significant strikes, while Michael Ratney, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said Gulf countries would still face long-term costs from damage and instability as the war continues.

The governments of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did not respond to requests for comment, according to AP.