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Allies of US in the Gulf bear brunt of Iran attacks
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.
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]
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp says control of the Strait of Hormuz has now “returned to its previous state” because of the US’s continuing blockade of Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump says the naval blockade will “remain in full force” until “our transaction with Iran is 100% complete”.
Earlier Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strait is “completely open” to all commercial vessels, ‘in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon” and “on the coordinated route as already announced”
[Aljazeera]
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 17 April 2026, valid for 18 April 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
Being a key frontline stakeholder in the national mission, ‘A Nation United,’ the Navy continues to maintain a vigilant maritime shield to eradicate the drug menace from society.
During yet another successful operation on the high seas south of Sri Lanka, the Navy intercepted a local multi-day fishing trawler and apprehended four suspects in connection with the
smuggling of a stock of suspected narcotics.
The intercepted trawler, along with the suspects, was escorted to the Dikowita Fisheries Harbour today, (17 April 2026).
During a special inspection at the fisheries harbour, the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) confirmed the presence of over 161kg of heroin.
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekera (Retd), and the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, to inspect seized narcotics.
Addressing the media, the Deputy Minister emphasized that drug trafficking has long persisted as an organized and sophisticated criminal enterprise. He highlighted that under the current government’s national mission, ‘A Nation United,’ a robust state mechanism is now in motion, integrating the Tri-Forces, Police, Special Task Force, PNB, and international agencies to dismantle these networks.
Underscoring the Navy’s operational success, the Deputy Minister revealed that in 2025 alone, the Navy seized narcotics valued at over Rs. 75,000 million. In the first four months of 2026, the momentum has continued with nearly Rs. 50,000 million worth of drugs intercepted and produced for legal action.
During this short period, 14 local multi-day trawlers and 127 suspects have been apprehended. He issued a stern assurance that seized drugs would never find their way back into society, as they are systematically destroyed under strict protocols.
“Human capital is our nation’s most vital asset,” the Deputy Minister noted, adding that a healthy population leads to a quality workforce and a resilient economy. He further remarked that the vision of a “A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life”, extends beyond financial stability to include the dignity, discipline, and mindset of the citizenry.
“On the instructions of the President, new legislation is being drafted for Parliamentary approval to further empower this national mission and ensure a law-abiding, civilized society for future generations”, he stated.
Concluding the briefing, the Deputy Minister lauded the media for their role in drug prevention and urged continued responsible journalism to educate the public on the dangers of narcotics.
Meanwhile, the apprehended suspects, the multi-day trawler, and the 161kg heroin shipment were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for onward investigation and legal proceedings.
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