Trump’s Iran threat renews Gulf fears of a war it didn’t choose

Trump’s Iran threat renews Gulf fears of a war it didn’t choose

Reuters-Nov2nd2026

By Samia Nakhoul, Alexander Cornwell and Timour Azhari

MANAMA, Nov 2 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran again confronts America’s Gulf allies with a stark prospect: another war decided in Washington in which the US bases built to protect them could instead make them targets for harsh Iranian reprisal.

Iranian missiles that struck US military bases and Gulf energy facilities in the last round of fighting exposed a vulnerability at the heart of Washington’s ‌decades-old security architecture. Rather than deterring Tehran, America’s sprawling regional footprint gave Iran fixed targets and the Gulf states hosting them pressure points it can exploit.

That prospect dominated discussions among ministers, policymakers and security officials at the annual Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain over the weekend, as governments weighed what another round of war could mean for US forces and the countries that host them.

The urgency has grown as Trump again threatened military action, saying he could launch “another little Operation Epic Fury” after Tuesday’s midterm elections, referring to the US-Israeli operation that began on Feb 28. Four European officials said the US had amassed enough forces and assets in the region to attack Iran at short notice, possibly as soon as this week.

“War is coming,” said a fifth European official who has close contact with Gulf leaders. “Nobody is in favour of this war.”

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told the Manama conference another round of fighting would be more dangerous and destructive than the last: “It will lead to nowhere.”

FROM SHIELD TO TARGET

Two of ⁠the European officials told Reuters any US attack would likely target Iranian nuclear sites, including research and development facilities. Among likely locations is Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program, although the officials said military action would probably be able only to weaken Tehran’s capabilities rather than destroy them.

Iranian officials have told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed target lists in retaliation for another US-Israeli attack, including undersea communications cables and military bases, some covert.