Gulf Region — The Middle East is on a knife’s edge after Iran launched coordinated strikes on U.S. military bases across the Gulf, with explosions rocking Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi just hours after massive IDF attacks on Iranian targets.

Residents near key American facilities reported deafening blasts and glowing fireballs on the horizon as air‑raid sirens and mosque loudspeakers urged people to shelter in place. In Kuwait, strikes near a major airbase hosting U.S. forces shattered windows for kilometres, while in Bahrain, home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, shockwaves rattled high‑rises along Manama’s waterfront.

In the UAE, powerful detonations were reported close to air and logistics hubs on the outskirts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Footage on social media shows plumes of smoke rising above industrial zones and convoys of ambulances racing toward restricted areas, as flight‑tracking data reveals abrupt diversions and delays across the region’s busiest airports.

Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard quickly claimed responsibility, calling the operation “direct punishment for Zionist aggression carried out under the American umbrella.” U.S. Central Command confirms “multiple impacts and casualties” but insists core operations remain intact, vowing a “measured but decisive response.”

Gulf governments, long careful to balance security ties with economic stability, now face a stark new reality: their cities are no longer just staging grounds, but front‑line targets. With Iran openly linking its barrage to IDF strikes and Washington promising to hit back, diplomats warn the region may have entered a dangerous new phase in which every attack on Iran is answered not only in Israel — but in the glittering Gulf capitals that thought they could stay above the fray.