A sharp new escalation has rocked the Persian Gulf region after The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Bahrain and Kuwait have launched retaliatory air strikes against Iran, in response to a recent wave of Iranian attacks on their territory. According to anonymous sources cited by the outlet, the joint operation targeted Iranian facilities used to store drones and missiles, with the United Arab Emirates providing critical support in the form of battlefield intelligence and defensive air cover for the mission.
This development marks a significant widening of the ongoing regional conflict, which reignited earlier this year after a major offensive by the United States and Israel against Iran. Bahrain and Kuwait are the latest Gulf nations to join direct military action against Tehran, joining the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which both launched strikes against Iran in the opening weeks of the conflict. Abu Dhabi has maintained one of the most hawkish stances among Gulf states, carrying out dozens of strikes on Iranian targets after coming under sustained Iranian drone and missile assault, the report notes.
In recent weeks, both Bahrain and Kuwait have faced an intensification of Iranian attacks, as a June-brokered ceasefire extension has effectively collapsed across the region. Regional analysts point out that Iran has deliberately focused its strikes on these two smaller Gulf nations, avoiding direct attacks on larger, wealthier neighbors Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Both Kuwait and Bahrain face unique vulnerabilities shaped by their geography and economic dependence on critical Gulf waterways: the two nations rely almost entirely on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint, for their energy exports, leaving their economies exposed to disruption.
Bahrain, an island kingdom, only maintains one land connection to the outside world: a single causeway linking it to Saudi Arabia. The nation has invested heavily in expanding its defense capabilities in recent years, and made regional waves in 2020 when it normalized diplomatic relations with Israel as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
Kuwait, located at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf bordering Iraq, has faced dual pressure: regional officials confirm the country has come under heavy attack not just from Iran, but also from Iranian-aligned militia groups based in neighboring Iraq. Earlier this week, Kuwait’s foreign ministry confirmed that an Iranian strike damaged a local power plant and a key water desalination facility. While the damage from that attack was contained, security and public health experts have warned that large-scale targeting of the Gulf’s desalination infrastructure — which supplies nearly all of the region’s drinking water — could trigger a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Unlike the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which boast large, well-funded modern militaries, both Bahrain and Kuwait are relatively minor military players in the regional balance of power. Military analysts broadly agree that the new retaliatory strikes by the two nations are unlikely to shift the overall trajectory of the conflict.
The current round of hostilities began earlier this year when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran. A ceasefire deal reached in June has all but fallen apart in recent weeks, with Iran resuming attacks on Gulf states and commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia, which joined U.S.-led strikes in the opening phase of the conflict, has since shifted its position to back Pakistani-led mediation efforts, though it has still granted the U.S. expanded access to its airbases and airspace for operations against Iran.
The conflict has drawn renewed international attention after U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios Thursday that he is considering carrying out a massive new attack on Iran. U.S. military officials confirmed Friday that American forces have now carried out 13 consecutive nights of air strikes against Iranian targets.