Gulf States

FDD Analysis

March 19, 2026 | Edmund Fitton-Brown, Bridget Toomey

Yemen, the unfinished business America ignores at its peril

As thousands of drones and missiles fly through the skies of the Middle East targeting the United States and its allies, one group’s weapons are notably absent — the Islamic Republic of Iran’s...

March 18, 2026 | Clifford D. May

Strait talk 

American victory passes through Hormuz

March 16, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Iranian drones and missiles hit regional oil fields, airports, military bases, and ports (March 13-16 updates)

Between March 13 and March 16, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones, missiles, rockets, and other weapon platforms across the Middle East. The attacks targeted energy infrastructure,...

March 15, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman

How Iraq Is the New Frontline of the Iran War

Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are seeking to tie down US forces in the Middle East.

March 13, 2026 | Bill Roggio, Bridget Toomey

Iran-backed Iraqi militias claim downing of US aircraft, US says not due to ‘hostile fire’

Iraqi militias loyal to the Iranian regime claimed that they shot down a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over western Iraq on March 12. The US military has confirmed that the tanker crashed but stated...

March 13, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Oman Is Under Fire From an Iranian Regime It Sought To Befriend

Even as his country was under threat from Iran, Oman’s ruler congratulated the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on his appointment, expressing his “best wishes for success...

March 13, 2026 | Mariam Wahba, Natalie Ecanow

International Union of Muslim Scholars criticizes Iranian strikes on Arab states but says Israel is main threat to region

A senior leader in the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has condemned Iran’s recent strikes on several Middle Eastern countries while simultaneously urging Muslims to unite against...

March 13, 2026 | Bridget Toomey

Dozens of airstrikes target Iran-backed militias across Iraq

Airstrikes, likely conducted by the US as part of the US-Israeli operation against the Islamic Republic, have continued targeting Iran-backed Iraqi militias. On March 12, the Popular Mobilization Forces...

March 13, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Arab Nations’ Era of Accommodating Iran Is Over

Washington should make clear to its Gulf partners that neutrality is no longer a strategy.

March 12, 2026 | Natalie Ecanow

How Iran’s forced oil crisis is Trump’s energy opportunity

The Strait of Hormuz is on fire. And the Iranian regime wants to keep it that way. On Wednesday, Tehran warned that it “will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait...

March 12, 2026 | Edmund Fitton-Brown

Canada’s Trade Relations with China and Qatar

March 12, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Iranian drones and missile barrages hit energy infrastructure, airports, and residential buildings in the Arab World (March 11-12 updates)

Between March 11 and March 12, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones, missiles, and other attack platforms across the Middle East, targeting energy infrastructure, airports, military...

March 11, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman

US condemns Iranian and militia attacks in Iraq amid unclaimed airstrikes on Tehran-backed militias

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned terrorist attacks by Iran and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani on March 9. The call took...

March 10, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Iranian drone and missile barrages strike Arab states across the region (March 9-10 updates)

Between March 9 and March 10, Iran and its allied militias continued launching drones and missiles across the Middle East, targeting energy infrastructure, airports, military bases, residential areas,...

March 10, 2026 | Natalie Ecanow, Mariam Wahba

Qatar Has More Than Earned U.S. Condemnation for Persecuting Religious Minorities at Home

It should not be surprising that a government that provides sanctuary to Hamas and avidly supports the Muslim Brotherhood has a record of infringing its own citizens’ religious liberty. Finally, it has...

March 8, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Gulf states have a stark choice — and Trump must make them face it

Iran has turned its war with the United States and Israel into a direct assault on its Persian Gulf neighbors — targeting not just American military and diplomatic installations based in these Arab states,...

March 8, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Iran continues striking civilian infrastructure and US bases in the Gulf (March 7–8 updates)

Between March 7 and 8, Iran continued launching drones and missiles across the Persian Gulf, targeting energy infrastructure, airports, military bases, government buildings, and urban areas in Saudi Arabia,...

March 8, 2026 | Joe Truzman, David Daoud

Rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad after Iraqi Shiite militia group issues threat over war in Lebanon

On March 6, the Coordination Committee of the Iraqi Resistance (CCIR) issued an ultimatum over recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon: Stop bombing the southern Dahiyeh suburbs of Beirut (a known...

March 8, 2026 | Natalie Ecanow

Washington’s Chance to Force Qatar and Iran’s Breakup

The Iran war has created an opportunity for the U.S. to push Doha and Tehran further apart.

March 6, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi

Iran and proxy militias strike energy infrastructure, US bases, and Gulf capitals on March 6

On March 6, Iran and its aligned militias continued their campaign of missile and drone attacks across the Middle East, striking civilian infrastructure, military installations, airports, and political...