
ALL EYES ON IRAN’S RESPONSE AFTER US STRIKES NUCLEAR SITES
Iran says ‘outrageous’ US attacks on ‘peaceful nuclear installations’ will have ‘everlasting consequences’.
7m ago
(22:10 GMT)
Gulf states on high alert as US bombing raises fears of wider Middle East conflict
Gulf states, home to multiple US military bases, are on high alert after the bombardment of Iran raised the possibility of a widening war in the Middle East.
Bahrain has told 70 percent of government employees to work from home until further notice.
“In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a post on X.
Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the risk of an open conflict between the US and Iran could plunge the region into a devastating and potentially protracted conflict.
“While the war has so far been contained in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, direct US involvement is a critical threshold that risks dragging the Gulf states – notably Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, which host large US military facilities – into the conflict,” he said.