WorldPosted at: Oct 30 2026 9:58PM


Gulf states in strong need of overhauling defence strategies after Iranian attack

London, Oct 30 (UNI) Gulf states may need to overhaul their trillion-dollar defence strategies after Iranian attacks exposed shortcomings in their military capabilities and raised questions about the continued value of US bases in the region, according to a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The report said 12 countries, mostly in the Gulf, faced 4,670 Iranian one-way attack drones and more than 1,400 ballistic missiles in the weeks before the 8th April ceasefire. Nearly half of the attacks were directed at the UAE. Although most were intercepted, the damage to energy infrastructure has been estimated at as much as $58bn (£43bn).
Despite heavy investment in predominantly US-made weapons, the study identified significant weaknesses in Gulf defences, including an overwhelming reliance on American air and missile defence systems and ammunition, limited regional co-operation, insufficient minesweeping capabilities and few options for retaliation.
It also highlighted the high cost of relying on advanced weapons systems to intercept relatively inexpensive drones and missiles, leaving Gulf militaries poorly prepared for a prolonged war of attrition.
The report said the conflict had exposed an “uncomfortable truth for the Gulf states”: their substantial purchases of US weapons had not translated into adequate protection when it mattered, while their own militaries were not sufficiently equipped for the type of sustained aerial attacks they had faced.
It also questioned the effectiveness of longstanding security partnerships with Washington, arguing that they had failed to provide adequate protection against Iranian aggression. US military bases and defence agreements may even have given Tehran an additional pretext for targeting Gulf countries.
Public opinion in the region has also begun shifting, with the US increasingly viewed as a potential “strategic liability” rather than a security provider, the report said.
Any reduction or withdrawal of American forces would allow Iran to claim a strategic victory and present it as vindication of its resistance. Tehran could also use such a move to embarrass Gulf governments over their decades-long reliance on US protection.
The study did not take a position on whether the divided Gulf states should pursue a new non-aggression agreement with Iran, but its findings have added to debate over the future of the US military presence in the region.
The report comes as Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said US military officials were debating whether damaged American bases in the Gulf should be rebuilt.
Murphy said Gulf leaders wanted Washington to restore its facilities and maintain a regional presence, but questioned whether bases could protect American interests if they were destroyed within hours of a conflict beginning.
“What good is it to have a base in the region to protect American interests if within 24 hours of a hot war starting, it is wiped off the map?” he asked.
He warned that rebuilding facilities without addressing their vulnerability would amount to a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“So clearly, we are going to have to have a smaller footprint in the region, and the limiting principle on the footprint that we rebuild will be ‘what can we protect?’ because we clearly cannot protect the scope of our footprint today and if we can’t protect it, it is useless,” Murphy said.
He also suggested that the US might need to move bases in the eastern Mediterranean further away from the range of Iranian missiles.
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