100 days of Iran war: Gulf states grapple with security and economic consequences

Article excerpt

One hundred days into the US-Israel conflict with Iran, Gulf states face a reckoning. The confrontation has upended calculations about regional security that these nations have relied on for decades, forcing them to reconsider their alliances, their exposure to escalation, and their economic vulnerabilities. Oil markets remain volatile, shipping routes stay contested, and the traditional balance of power that allowed Gulf monarchies to prosper now looks fragile. The question haunting capitals from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi: can the old framework of American security guarantees and careful neutrality still hold, or must they fundamentally remake their regional strategy?