Blog Post

Caught between Iranian strikes and U.S.-Israeli pressure to join the fight, Gulf Arab states strive to maintain their autonomy over decision making, playing defense and preserving the space to maneuver when the war ends.

The Houthis have stayed out of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. Are they unable, unwilling, or simply biding their time?

Roughly 20% of global oil supply is now stranded behind the chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, unable to reach global markets.

Iran may still call itself an Islamic Republic. In practice, however, it increasingly resembles a state in which the military governs from behind clerical robes.

The early reactions of regional stock markets reflect serious concerns but not full-blown panic despite an unprecedented escalation of the Iran conflict.

Iran’s attacks have perhaps irrevocably damaged Qatari-Iranian bilateral relations and erased the last few years of broader rapprochement efforts between Iran and the GCC states.

The longer the conflict lasts, and the more damage to energy facilities, the greater the risk of oil market tightness, rising prices, and stranded commodities.

Though they were unsuccessful in preventing the current conflict, and, as expected, have been dragged into the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran, Gulf Arab countries remain crucial to hopes for limiting the war and bringing it to a quick resolution.