Gulf nations brace for possible return to all-out war between US and Iran
Gulf nations are bracing for a possible resumption of hostilities in the Iran war amid multiple simultaneous warnings and media reports of increasing intensity and detail, coupled with a massive US military build-up in the Gulf.
The United States has ordered non-essential government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, while Israel and Iran place their armies on high alert. This follows a Middle East-wide red alert and a massive US military build-up, raising fears of an imminent escalation with devastating consequences for the region.
The US Department of State announced the ordered departure for non-emergency personnel in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening. The statement cited the potential for hostilities to escalate rapidly beyond the immediate area.
Several news outlets reported that families of embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain were also ordered to leave, quoting multiple diplomatic sources. However, US Department of State spokesperson Tommy Pigott said these reports were inaccurate.
The US Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only, as a result of the growing Houthi attacks.
The US Saudi warning follows a Middle East-wide red alert issued by Washington on Monday to US citizens in 12 countries across the region. The alert warned of risks of potential attacks on US interests in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Yemen and Iran.
War vs elections
With days before Israel’s close elections in which prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and ahead of next month’s US midterm elections in which war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger, there are growing concerns and speculations that US-Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.
The US has been rebuilding a massive strike force in the Gulf by sending more military assets to the region, including a third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops, to join the largest US naval and air force in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Iran has been warning for weeks that it has reorganised its defence capabilities and that any attack would be matched with what they called a devastating response against US interests and civilian infrastructure across the region.
Iranian officials and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are preparing for war, having declared their “100% certainty” that the US and Israel will attack them again.
According to reports in Iran, Tehran activated its so-called Mosaic Defence doctrine by which Iran would operate in a decentralised way, by giving local commanders a list of targets to keep fighting even if the central command is destroyed.
Plans for new strikes
In parallel with the US Department of State alert on Wednesday, the New York Times and other media reported that the US and Israel have developed specific plans for new strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections.
US President Donald Trump declared recently that any considerations for a new attack on Iran would be made after the US midterm elections.
According to the New York Times report, which quoted US officials, targets would likely include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and arsenals of missiles and drones, with the objective of pushing Iran into a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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