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Allies of US in the Gulf bear brunt of Iran attacks

Published

4 months ago

2026/03/2

Priyan

Cities in the Gulf states, like Abu Dhabi pictured here, were not built to withstand attacks from drones and ballistic missiles [BBC]

In the clear blue skies above Abu Dhabi, white contrails streak high above the sand-coloured villas and well-watered gardens.

These are no incoming Dreamliners or Airbuses bringing in the next manifest of tourists and guest workers. They are incoming ballistic missiles, launched by the Emirates’ giant neighbour just across the Gulf: Iran.

As of Sunday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said it had so far “dealt with” 165 incoming ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 Iranian drones.

In Bahrain, a friend alerted me on Sunday morning that the airport was under attack after having a sleepless night.

“Woken by huge bangs and wailing siren,” he texted. “I think maybe around 20 booms and bangs. At least two hits”.

These are not familiar scenes in this region, but since this conflict began on Saturday morning, Iran appears to have expanded its target set from just hitting military targets, like the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, to airports and other civilian sites.

Now luxury hotels and shopping malls, high-rise apartment blocks, state-of-the-art airport departure terminals are getting sporadically hit as gaps appear in the Arab states’ air defences in the Gulf.

These places were never built with the prospect in mind that they would one day come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Aragchi, has denied targeting his country’s neighbours, telling Al Jazeera: “We are not attacking our neighbours in the Persian Gulf countries, we are targeting the presence of the US in these countries. Neighbours should direct their grievances to the decision-makers of this war”.

Some of the damage to civilian infrastructure in the Gulf states is accidental – resulting from debris falling from intercepted missiles.

But not all.

The number of attacks on airports in Bahrain and the UAE point to more than coincidence.

Iran always made it clear in advance that, if it was attacked, it would retaliate at any country it considered to be complicit in that attack.

The Gulf states went to some lengths to show Iran they were not part, in their eyes, of this US-Israeli attack.

Yet essentially they have been punished for being long-term military partners of Washington’s.

Before the Islamic Revolution, in the days of the shah, Iran was known as “the policeman of the Gulf”.

Since the revolution, it has always tried to convince its neighbours that it should resume that role, “taking charge of security” in what it calls Khaleej-e-Fars, the Persian Gulf (Arabs call it the Arabian Gulf).

Iranian leaders have tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the Arab states in the Gulf to expel the US Navy and adopt them as their guardians instead.

But for rulers of the Gulf states – conservative, dynastic monarchies for whom the revolutionary zeal of the Islamic Republic is anathema – a line has been crossed here.

It is hard to see how they can ever have anything approaching normal relations again with the current Iranian leadership, that is, if it survives this war.

Saudi Arabia and Oman, two countries that have long hosted US and Western military forces, have both escaped a lot more lightly than the other four Gulf Arab states.

Oman, which remains on good terms with the Islamic Republic and was mediating the nuclear talks between the US and Iran, suffered a drone strike on its commercial port of Duqm, down on the Arabian Sea coast.

The Saudi capital Riyadh appears to have been targeted on Saturday, prompting an angry statement from its government.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks that targeted the Riyadh Region and the Eastern Province, which were successfully intercepted. These attacks cannot be justified under any pretext,” the statement said.

This is not the first time Iran has attacked its Arab neighbours in the Gulf, either directly or indirectly, but never quite on this scale.

In 2019, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq launched a volley of drones at Saudi Aramco’s petrochemical facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais, temporarily knocking out half of its daily export capacity.

Last June, Iran fired ballistic missiles at the al-Udaid airbase in Qatar but this was seen as a performative response to America’s Operation Midnight Hammer air raid that destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo, and Tehran quietly gave advance warning.

Bahrain, which has a large, sometimes restive Shia population, has long accused Iran of funding, training and arming insurgents in its country.

All of this, though, pales compared to the situation the Arab states of the Gulf are now experiencing.

For President Trump, for Israel, for many governments in the Middle East, and of course for many Iranians themselves the best result now would be a swift end to the regime of the Islamic Republic followed by a smooth transition to democracy and a world where Iran can enjoy normal relations with the rest of the world.

That, though, is far from certain.

A race is currently under way by the US and Israel to try to destroy Iran’s ability to keep launching these missiles and drones before they can fire them.

For Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, the IRGC, the dilemma is whether to surge an attack on a major target like a US warship in the hopes of overcoming its defences, or hold back much of its concealed arsenal in the hopes of outlasting President Trump’s patience.

Iran also knows that while it has a finite number of missiles and drones, so, too, are its adversaries constrained by their number of remaining air defences.

If or when those run out before Iran runs out of missiles, drones or launchers then life for those on the ground in the Gulf could be about to get even more alarming.

Reuters Queues at Delhi airport amid cancellations and delays. — *Flights that would have gone over the affected region have been diverted, causing delays [BBC]*

The balance of power is heavily in favour of the US and Israel. These are two of the world’s most powerful and technologically advanced militaries in the world.

There are two US carrier strike groups in the region with over 200 warplanes while Iran, under sweeping sanctions for years, has no air force to speak of.

Both Israel and the US enjoy complete air superiority.

But Tehran still has some things on its side.

The regime, although weakened and unpopular with much of its population, only has to survive to proclaim itself the long-term winner in this conflict.

The Islamic Republic, with its cult of martyrdom, can take a lot more pain than the US can and the longer this conflict goes on the keener President Trump will be to find an off-ramp.

Will the US and Iran return to talks?

If the Iranian regime collapses, that will not be necessary.

But if the regime survives, and it may well, then Washington’s triple demands of Tehran will come back into focus, namely: a curb on Iran’s suspect nuclear programme, including a return to inspections; an end to Iran’s ballistic missile programme; and an end to Iran’s support for proxy militias around the region, such as the Hezbullah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Oman says real progress was being made in talks in Geneva last month on the nuclear file.

But Iran ruled out discussing the other two issues – leading Donald Trump to say he was “not happy with the way the talks are going”.

It is possible that back channel contacts could well produce a ceasefire, followed by a return to talks.

But if the two sides’ bargaining positions have not moved then military action could well resume.

So this conflict has yet to run its course.

[BBC]

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England no match for ruthless Australia

Published

3 hours ago

2026/07/6

Priyan

Australia completed an unbeaten campaign to win the Women’s T20 World Cup, defeating England in the final at Lord’s to seal a record extending seventh title.

REX CLEMENTINE at Lord’s

The final of the Women’s T20 World Cup turned into a one-sided affair as Australia clinched their seventh title without breaking a sweat against hosts England at Lord’s on Sunday. With both teams unbeaten throughout the tournament, a close contest had been anticipated in front of a sell out crowd, but England were simply no match for the Australians.

The victory was set up by Australia’s bowlers, who mixed their pace intelligently and maintained superb discipline to restrict England to 150 for four in their 20 overs. Their fielding was equally impressive, backing up the bowlers with sharp catching and athletic work in the ring.

On a two paced surface, some felt England had posted a competitive total. But Beth Mooney, such a classy performer, produced another masterclass to guide Australia to a comprehensive seven wicket victory with 17 balls to spare.

Mooney, Australia’s wicketkeeper and left-handed opener, has the same ability as Adam Gilchrist to punish even good deliveries. Having struck an unbeaten half-century in the semi-final against West Indies at The Oval, she delivered again on the biggest stage.

Her unbeaten 64 came off just 49 balls and included ten boundaries. She shared a 100-run stand off only 67 deliveries with Phoebe Litchfield, laying the perfect platform for the chase.

Litchfield, another elegant left-hander, was outstanding during the Powerplay, taking the attack to England as Australia raced to 62 for one in the first six overs. She narrowly missed out on a half-century, making 48 off 35 balls with six fours and two sixes.

After England’s openers departed cheaply, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt kept the hosts in the contest with a fighting half-century. But her 58 came off 53 deliveries and contained only five boundaries, underlining how effectively Australia squeezed the scoring opportunities.

Left-hander Freya Kemp injected some urgency with a brisk 44 off 28 balls, striking four fours and a six, but her late assault proved too little, too late.

It was a remarkable campaign by Australia, who won all seven matches and were rarely stretched throughout the tournament. Their enviable depth, extending through both the batting and bowling departments, once again proved decisive. Above all, their triumph served as another reminder that sustained success at international level is built on the foundations of a strong domestic structure.

Scores:
Australia Women 153/3 in 17.1 overs [Beth Mooney 64, Phoebe Litchfield 48, Ellyse Perry 13*; Charlie Dean 1-28, Lauren Bell 1-38, Sophie Ecclestone 1-24] beat England Women 150/4 in 20 overs [Nat Sciver-Brunt 58*, Alice Capsey23, Freya Kemp 44*; Kim Garth 1-20, Lucy Hamilton 1-19, Sophia Molineux 1-32, Annabel Sutherland 1-34] by seven wickets

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Djokovic breaks Federer’s Wimbledon record to reach quarters

Published

4 hours ago

2026/07/5

Priyan

Novak Djokovic has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for a ninth consecutive year [BBC]

Novak Djokovic claimed the all-time record for most men’s singles match wins at Wimbledon, but had to overcome moments of visible frustration to beat qualifier Roman Safiullin and reach the quarter-finals.

Djokovic had matched Roger Federer’s record with his third-round victory on Friday, and the 39-year-old earned his 106th win at SW19 by defeating the 132nd-ranked Safiullin 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-3 on Sunday.

That is second only to the 120 wins achieved by nine-time women’s champion Martina Navratilova.

The Serb beat Safiullin despite an apparent issue with his eyes early in the contest, while he later received a warning for an audible obscenity and was fortunate to avoid a penalty after firing a ball to the back of the opposite side of the court when he lost serve in the third set.

“Survive to thrive – that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said, reflecting on his performances in the first week.

“Hopefully the thriving part is coming!”

Acknowledging his behaviour during the match, he added: “I’m known for my outbursts and meltdowns, I had a few of those today so I apologise.

“Our mind wanders all the time. It is very hard to keep it in the present moment. Whoever manages to do that is the winner.

Djokovic – who is bidding to match Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and claim an outright record 25th major title – was the overwhelming favourite against Safiullin, but found his latest test far from straightforward.

Safiullin, a former quarter-finalist, was in tears after his stunning third-round victory over rising star Joao Fonseca, having struggled with an injury he feared he would never fully recover from six months ago.

The free-hitting Russian, 28, was rewarded for his persistence when he took his first set in four meetings with former world number one Djokovic to prolong the contest beyond the three-hour mark.

But, just as he did against Arthur Rinderknech in the previous round, Djokovic captured the fourth set to seal victory and set up a last-eight meeting with Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Safiullin appeared full of belief as he began his bid for a monumental upset, responding to Djokovic’s immediate break of serve by winning five of the next six games.

But he could not convert that positive position, faltering as he served for the set at 5-3 and eventually coming up short in the tie-break.

Despite the 125-place ranking gap, Safiullin had continued to prove a nuisance in the second set until he presented Djokovic with an opening in the sixth game, and eventually conceded a fourth break point.

Having to come through three consecutive five-set matches since the final round of qualifying to arrive here began to take its toll as Safiullin required a medical timeout for a left-leg problem during the third set.

But he successfully managed that issue to capture his first set in four tour-level meetings with Djokovic, who landed only 57% of his first serves and took out his frustration on a ball after Safiullin took a sixth break point for a 4-2 lead.

Despite that incident, which was booed by the crowd, Djokovic quickly reset and launched a decisive fourth-set response, breaking to love in the second game as Safiullin’s challenge began to fade.

Lifting over a closing drop shot to serve out victory to love, Djokovic embraced Safiullin at the net – and there was deserved warm applause for the spirited qualifier’s performance as his superb run, in which he also ousted 12th seed Andrey Rublev, came to an end.

Djokovic has now been taken to four sets in three of his four wins at this year’s championships, but remains in the hunt for history after reaching his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final.

[BBC]

Latest News

Australia bowl in final, both teams unchanged

Published

7 hours ago

2026/07/5

Priyan

Sophie Molineux doesn't expect the pitch to change much (Cricinfo)

Sophie Molineux called correctly at the toss and inserted England on a bright, warm afternoon at Lord’s, venue for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup final.

Both sides were unchanged from comprehensive semi-final victories. Ellyse Perry limped off against West Indies at The Oval on Tuesday but has pulled up well, in the words of her captain, Molineux. Australia also resisted the temptation to bring in Alana King, who has a fine record against England.

“Beautiful day, want to get out and have a run around, put pressure on them early,” Molineux said. “I don’t think the pitch will change too much.”

Nat Sciver Brunt who missed three games during the group stage but returned to top score against South Africa in Thursday’s second semi, said she too would have bowled. “But fresh wicket, runs on the board in a final is no bad thing,” she added.

England and Australia both come into the final unbeaten in the tournament, having won all five group games prior to the knockouts. Two mighty records go head-to-head in this contest, too: England have won all four of the Women’s World Cups (50-over and T20) that they have hosted; but Australia have won all six of the finals (50-over and T20) that the nations have contested.

England: Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell

Australia: Georgia Voll, Beth Mooney (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (capt), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton

(Cricinfo)