Recent Iranian attacks have targeted Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, while sparing Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This raises the question of why this has happened.
A CNN Iran expert says this could be related to the presence of certain US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, which he says have been targeted by Iran in recent attacks. He also sees a change in diplomatic approach by the Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia towards Iran as a possible factor.
Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, stated that the attacks were not directed against Bahrain and Kuwait themselves, but against the type of American bases located in these countries.
Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, while Kuwait is home to Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Iran considers these to be key command and logistics centers in the region, and Iranian media have cited them as the reason for the attacks. In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry stressed the “direct and clear responsibility of the Kuwaiti and Bahraini authorities” in the conflict, condemning the “American colonial use” of these countries’ territory to support attacks on Iran.
According to Aziz, Iran this time has sought to limit the escalation of the situation.
“They didn’t want to go beyond a certain level of escalation, especially not towards military targets. For the Iranians, what was done was considered a proportionate response,” he said.
Also, according to CNN, there has been increased contact between Tehran on the one hand and Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh on the other, which could explain the limited attacks on some Gulf countries.
According to Aziz, it is possible that there have been contacts between the Emirates and Iran that have influenced the UAE not to be a target this time, but he emphasizes that this should not be seen as a sustainable model, as future waves of escalation may be different. /Telegraph/
