Iran War Daily — The Gulf Report
Issue No. 1 | Covering Sunday, March 1, 2026
Welcome to Iran War Daily — The Gulf Report, a new daily series by Gulf Nashra covering the Israel-Iran war exclusively from the Gulf perspective. Every day, we cut through the noise — the rumours, the unverified claims, and the information overload flooding social media — to bring you a concise summary of what was confirmed and verified in the previous 24 hours across the six GCC states. We track official statements, strikes received and intercepted, market movements, and public voices. No speculation. No Tehran framing. No Tel Aviv lens. Only the Gulf, only what’s verified, only what matters.
This is Issue No. 1. It covers Sunday, March 1, 2026 — the second day of the war, and the day Iran crossed a line it had never crossed before: striking Oman.
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Major News
“Gulf bloc set to hold emergency meeting on Sunday amid US-Iran conflict.” Middle East Eye, March 1, 2026.
Go deeper: “Statement Issued by the 50th Extraordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Regarding the Iranian Aggression Against the GCC.” GCC Council, March 1, 2026.
“UAE Shuts Embassy in Tehran in Response to Iranian Strikes.” Bloomberg, March 1, 2026.
Go deeper: “UAE Announces Closure of Embassy in Tehran and Withdrawal of Ambassador and Diplomatic Mission, Condemns Iranian Missile Attacks.” UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 1, 2026.
“Saudi stocks plunge, other GCC markets set to open in negative territory.” Khaleej Times, March 1, 2026.
Oil and Strait of Hormuz
Oil Price: “Oil jumps 10% on Iran conflict and could spike to $100 a barrel, analysts say.” Reuters, March 1, 2026.
Strait of Hormuz Status: Effectively closed for a second consecutive day. The IRGC continued issuing warnings to commercial vessels against transiting the Strait. Tanker traffic remained at a fraction of normal levels, with ships anchoring or diverting rather than risking passage. Major shipping companies maintained their suspension of Gulf operations. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and the UAE’s Habshan-Fujairah pipeline are being assessed as emergency alternatives, but neither can absorb the full volume that normally flows through Hormuz. Source: Al Jazeera · Bloomberg
UKMTO warns the Strait of Hormuz area is “highly volatile” with elevated risk. UKMTO, March 1, 2026.
Source:
https://www.ukmto.org/recent-incidents#c0e23747-4c73-4207-9c9a-74e51fe3e044
Live: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:58.5/centery:24.9/zoom:7
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Statement
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons the Iranian ambassador to the Kingdom in connection with the blatant Iranian attacks that targeted the Kingdom and a number of sisterly states.” MoFA Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Failed and Cowardly Iranian Attacks Targeting Riyadh and Eastern Regions.” Saudi Press Agency.
Attacks: Unknown | Killed: Unknown | Injured: Unknown
Stock Market
“Saudi Arabia stocks were lower after the close on Sunday, as losses in the Media & Publishing, Industrial Investment and Energy & Utilities sectors led shares lower. At the close in Saudi Arabia, the Tadawul All Share fell 2.18% to hit a new 1-month low.”
Investing, March 1, 2026.
Yahoo Finance, March 1, 2026.
Public Opinion
“Even minutes before the attack on Iran, Arab public sympathy was present, viewing it as being in confrontation with Israel. However, its targeting of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states — which did not participate in the war — quickly dissipated that support. History repeats its lesson: when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, he lost the Arab sympathy that had existed after his war with Iran. Whoever loses the supportive base loses the battle.”
Dawood Alshirian, X, March 1, 2026.
“Why does Iran not target American bases in Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, or Armenia? Simply because it views its other neighbors as adversaries, and the intent has long been premeditated.”
Mohamed Alarab, X, March 1, 2026.
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Statement
“The UAE summons the Iranian ambassador and delivers a protest note regarding the Iranian terrorist assaults and attacks.” MoFA UAE, March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“UAE air defences intercept 165 ballistic, two cruise missiles, 541 drones since onset of Iranian attack” WAM.
Attacks: 165 Ballistic Missiles, 2 Cruise Missiles, 541 Drones | killed: 3 | Injured: 58
Stock Market
“UAE halts stock markets for two days after Iran strikes.” Reuters, March 1, 2026.
Public Opinion
“Iran has committed a grave mistake — a mistake first and foremost against its own people. The Iranian people live among us in the Gulf Arab states in safety and respect; they work, earn their livelihoods with dignity, and find the stability they deserve. We harm no one, we do not target any people, and we do not conflate citizens with political decisions.”
Khalaf Al Habtoor, X, March 1, 2026.
“The UAE may shift from defense to offense if the Iranian terrorist aggression continues.”
Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, X, March 1, 2026.
🇶🇦 Qatar
Statement
“Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of the Iranian attacks on the Port of Duqm in the Sultanate of Oman and on an oil tanker off its coast.” MOFA Qatar, March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“Ministries of Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs: Armed Forces Interrupted Waves of Iranian Missiles, No Casualties” Qatar News Agency.
Attacks: 65 Ballistic Missiles, 12 Drones (source) | Killed: 0 | Injured: 12 (source)
Stock Market
QE Index has been trading lower/declining recently, QE Index stood around 11,813 points, reflecting the current market levels and constituents for March, 2 2026. QSE.
Public Opinion
“I reiterate that the Gulf Cooperation Council states must not be drawn into a direct confrontation with Iran, despite the fact that Iran has violated the sovereignty of GCC countries and was the one that initiated the attack on our states. This is not the first time Iran has taken such action, at least from our perspective in Qatar. This position does not contradict what I previously stated — that there must be a stance — indeed, there must be one. However, despite everything, GCC states must carefully examine this matter in all its dimensions. There are forces that seek to push GCC countries into a direct clash with Iran, fully aware that the current confrontation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other will eventually end, whereas a direct conflict between the GCC states and Iran, if it occurs, would drain the resources of both sides.”
Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani, X, March 1, 2026.
“The deliberate targeting of our brothers in Oman — a state that made sincere efforts in mediation and in preventing bloodshed, and that sought to keep the door to diplomacy open until the very last moment — constitutes an attack on the very principle of mediation itself. As we warned when Qatar was targeted in the context of its mediation role, this assault represents a catastrophic pattern that threatens the role of mediators and undermines one of the most vital mechanisms for containing crises and preserving peace and stability.”
Majed Al Ansari, X, March 1, 2026.
🇴🇲 Oman
Statements
No statement issued on March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“Port of Duqm Targeted by Two Drones” ONA.
Attacks: 2 Drones | Killed: Unknown | Injured: 1
Stock Market
“The MSM 30, rose to 7355 points on March 2, 2026, gaining 0.91% from the previous session.” Trading Economics.
Public Opinion
“Iran must exercise restraint in its attacks and refrain from targeting Gulf states, particularly their civilian and military facilities that have no connection to the conflict. Such hostile actions portray Iran as confused and erratic in its decision-making following the killing of its leaders. Iran should direct its actions toward the parties attacking it rather than dispersing its capabilities by striking its neighbors and igniting the region.”
Mohamed Al Wardi, X, March 1, 2026.
“What is happening today in our Arab and Islamic world is a dangerous Zionist recklessness, manipulated by war criminals who, before our eyes, have slaughtered more than 100,000 people in Gaza — most of them children and women — without any mercy.”
Naser Busaidi, X, March 1, 2026.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
Statement
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attacks that targeted the sisterly Sultanate of Oman, in a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.” MOFA Kuwait, March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“Kuwait reports interception of 97 Iranian ballistic missiles, 283 drones.” KUNA.
Attacks: 97 Ballistic Missiles, 283 Drones | Killed: 1 | Injured: 32
Stock Market
“Boursa Kuwait suspended trading after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran prompted retaliatory attacks across nearby U.S. targets in Gulf cities.” Reuters, March 1, 2026.
Public Opinion
“The Collapse of the ‘American Bases’ Pretext’. It is naive to accept the Iranian narrative that targeting Gulf states is merely a response to American bases. This justification fell apart the moment the strikes extended to civilian cities and vital facilities such as Kuwait Airport and Doha Airport, and reached the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — which does not host American bases — as well as the Sultanate of Oman, which had hosted negotiations with full neutrality.”
Ali Alsanad, X, March 1, 2026.
“[Israeli] Aggression against the countries of the region has become a sustained approach, as it seeks to crown itself the master of the Middle East — bombing Arab capitals and Iran, violating the sovereignty of states on multiple fronts at the same time: striking Tehran throughout the day, bombing Beirut in the evening, breaching the sovereignty of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, and attacking Yemen.”
Abdullah Al Shayji, X, March 1, 2026.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
Statement
No statement issued on March 1, 2026.
Strikes
“General Command of Bahrain Defence Force: Successful interception of 45 Iranian missiles and 9 drones” BNA.
Attacks: 45 Missiles, 9 Drones | Killed: Unknown | Injured: 4
Stock Market
As of the latest available data, Bahrain’s main stock market index (the Bahrain All Share Index, BHBX) stands around ~2,040–2,050 points, with only slight recent changes, reflecting modest movement in the market. Bahrain Bourse, March 2, 2026.
Public Opinion
“One of the worst things that can happen to a country in this world is to become an ally of China or Russia. The former will drown you in debt and goods; the latter will lead you into the forest and then walk away. They are powerful and major states, but they think of nothing beyond their own individual interests and the security of their borders.”
Adel Marzooq, X, March 1, 2026.
“The recklessness of the corrupt and crumbling Iranian regime.”
Abdulla Almadani, X, March 1, 2026.
Issue No. 2 will cover Monday, March 2, 2026.