Iran War Daily — The Gulf Report
Issue No. 2 | Covering Monday, March 2, 2026
Oil, Strait of Hormuz, and Stock Markets
As of the market close on March 2, 2026, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil settled at $71.23 per barrel, representing a 6.28% increase following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. (Google Finance Data, March 2, 2026).
“Tankers shun Strait of Hormuz as total vessel traffic plunges.”Lloyds list, March 2, 2026.
“Gulf stocks tumble for a second day and bond prices slide.” AGBI, March 2, 2026.
States’ Updates
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
“US Embassy in Riyadh Attacked as Iran Steps Up Saudi Strikes.” Bloomberg, March 2, 2026.
“Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Oil Refinery Halts After Drone Attack.” Bloomberg, March 2, 2026.
🇦🇪 UAE
“UAE and Qatar Urge Allies to Help Trump Find Iran Off-Ramp.” Bloomberg, March 2, 2026.
🇶🇦 Qatar
“Iran strikes halt Qatar LNG output, shaking global energy markets.” CNBC, March 2, 2026.
“Qatar downs two Iranian fighter jets as conflict widens” Al Jazeera, March 2, 2026.
🇴🇲 Oman
“Oman says 1 killed when oil tanker targeted northwest of Sultan Qaboos Port.” Anadolu Ajansi, March 2, 2026.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
“Three US F-15 jets mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses during combat operations.” The Guardian, March 2, 2026.
“Security authorities arrest individuals for filming events and spreading chaos on social media.” Arab Times, March 2, 2026.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
“Bahrain cracks down on people allegedly celebrating Iran strikes on kingdom.” The New Arab, March 2, 2026.
Defense Summary
Public Opinion
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
“The interest of neighboring states does not lie in seeing Iran weak and fragmented, but in seeing a stable, unified state capable of engaging in a balanced regional order — one governed by the calculations of statecraft rather than expansionist impulses. Stability is the only guarantee for the security of the Gulf, its vital waterways, energy supplies, and markets. Prudent policy does not seek the collapse of adversaries, but rather the regulation of their behavior within a balance of power that both deters and contains at the same time. A stable and responsible Iran is better for the region than a fragmented and exhausted one.”
Wafaa Alrasheed, X, March 2, 2026.
“This is a reality that does not imply gloating over Iran — particularly its people, who are burdened by circumstances — but rather points to a fact: Iran did not act in accordance with the shifts in the current nature of American policy and the evolving global conditions in which war has become an increasingly accessible option. Iran relied on the effectiveness of an old strategy it had long pursued, despite the fact that the surrounding variables had changed, and thus faced what it believed it could avoid or postpone to a later time.”
Hamood Abutalib, Okaz, March 3, 2026.
🇦🇪 UAE
“The UAE prevailed without firing a single bullet toward Iran and will emerge from one of the most difficult crises more confident, stronger, and more attractive. It maintained its composure, managed the confrontation with inherited wisdom passed down through generations, intercepted more than 700 Iranian missiles and drones through the efforts of its sons, and earned the respect and admiration of the world.”
Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, X, March 2, 2026.
“The announcement by an adviser to the commander of the Revolutionary Guard that Iran “will target oil routes and will not allow oil to be exported from the region” indicates that we are facing a threat that does not target specific adversaries as much as it places global energy security hostage to a logic of escalation.”
“The Gulf was not a party to igniting this war, yet it possesses sufficient deterrent capabilities and international partnerships to safeguard its waterways and resources. Energy security is not a bargaining chip, but a red line whose consequences affect the entire world.”
Ebtisam Alkitbi, X, March 2, 2026.
🇶🇦 Qatar
“[Iran] must ‘rationalize’ its steps so as not to serve Israel objectives of igniting the region and dragging the Gulf states into the war. The Gulf countries have long distanced themselves from this conflict and have instead acted as mediators in efforts to resolve the issues between Iran, the United States, and the international community — achieving success at certain stages, encountering setbacks at others, and even helping to defuse crises that Iran itself was facing. A military confrontation between the Gulf states and Iran, God forbid if it were to occur, would harm all parties, and its repercussions would extend for decades. The greatest beneficiary of any Gulf–Iran clash, should it happen, would be Israel.”
Jaber Alharmi, X, March 2, 2026.
“By striking civilian facilities in the Gulf, it is impossible to believe that the Iranian government is fully controlling the missile operations command. My expectation is that the Iranian missiles are currently being directed by reckless and embittered militias. Even during the Iran–Iraq War, despite the Gulf’s open support for Iraq, the Iranian regime did not engage in the kind of actions we are witnessing today.”
Hamad Lahdan, X, March 2, 2026.
🇴🇲 Oman
“The United States has exhausted its target bank, with nothing left but the destruction of buildings. Iran, meanwhile, has begun achieving its objectives — foremost among them cutting off energy supplies to the world — and will continue to preserve this leverage until the United States ‘surrenders.’ Yes, surrenders, because Tehran has nothing to lose but walls, whereas America has already lost its popular standing and the respect of the world.”
Zakaria Almuharmi, X, March 2, 2026.
“Advice to the Gulf states is to avoid entering into a direct confrontation with Iran, despite Iran’s shelling of American bases within these countries. This, according to this view, is precisely what Israel seeks — to drag the Gulf states into a military confrontation with Iran. Should that occur, critical infrastructure, oil wells, and refineries would come under Iranian fire. What Zionism aims for, it is argued, is the destruction of the Gulf states and their entanglement in an open war with Iran, multiplying economic losses and destroying everything that has been built since the beginning of the oil era. And remember, history would record that you entered the war as allies of Israel and Zionism against your Muslim brothers. Will you reflect on this?”
Ali Hamdan, X, March 2, 2026.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
“This is a zero-sum war for which Iran has prepared for years, and it will seek to drain the United States and its allies of their interceptor missile stockpiles while continuing its bombardment until maximum destruction is inflicted across the region. Iran is capable of causing significant damage to the infrastructure of the Gulf states. The lurking adversary, according to this view, is Israel, which seeks to weaken the countries of the region in preparation for dominating them; we are facing a new great-power game aimed at reshaping the Middle East.”
Nasser Alduwailah, X, March 2, 2026.
“Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan — countries that share borders with Iran and host American bases — have not been targeted by Iran. This suggests that striking American bases in the Gulf is intended to draw the Gulf states into this war.”
Mohammed Almaimouni, X, March 2, 2026.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
“The anger of the Gulf states is justified, and they are fully capable of responding and defending themselves, with every right to do so. Nevertheless, it would be neither sound policy, nor wisdom, nor foresight for history to record that the Gulf states were the first Arab countries to wage a war alongside Israel. The situation is difficult, but our states are capable of containing it and managing its complexities.”
Adel Marzooq, X, March 2, 2026.
“There is no doubt that our responsibility as citizens during the Iranian aggression becomes greater and more significant, given its critical importance in strengthening the internal front and its substantial impact on the course of events and the resilience of the nation. Therefore, careful attention must be paid to maintaining a steadfast public awareness among citizens and adhering to the positive national conduct required at this critical stage, as this constitutes a safety valve for endurance, stability, and the achievement of security and peace for the country.”
Ebrahim Almannai, Al Bilad, March 3, 2026.
Issue No. 3 will cover Tuesday, March 3, 2026.