Gulf investments in layered air and missile defenses have enabled regional states to absorb Iranian attacks, protect critical infrastructure, and maintain strategic restraint in a war they neither started nor wish to join.

Rashid Al-Mohanadi

Iran’s strikes on Gulf states risk drawing the region into a wider war that could reshape the Middle East’s strategic balance. For Gulf governments, the most consequential decision may not be how to retaliate, but whether to enter the conflict at all.

Alanoud Hamad Saud Al Thani

Iran’s retaliation following U.S.–Israeli strikes reflects a strategic miscalculation that risks undermining Gulf neutrality and weakening regional mediation efforts, thereby complicating prospects for de-escalation.

Khalid Al-Jaber

Washington’s approach to trade has roiled markets and relationships, but it has also created opportunities for Gulf energy producers, especially as the stability of long-term LNG contracts gain in their appeal.

Masha Kotkin

Despite a major dispute in their past, Amman and Beijing are finding ways to cooperate effectively to increase Jordan's energy independence.  

Jesse Marks

In contrast to last year’s summit, the 2025 BRICS+ meeting in Brazil avoided the image of challenging Western financial hegemony and focused on building the base of its future clout.