AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The Arab countries of the Gulf opposed the U.S. war in Iran, but they are facing some of Iran's heaviest missile and drone attacks, and Gulf countries are naturally worried that the war could end with an angry Tehran, one that will leave the entire region less secure than when the fighting began. For more, we're joined now by NPR's Greg Myre. Hi, Greg.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa.
CHANG: Hey. OK, so we - as we mentioned, you know, these Gulf countries - we're talking about Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and more - they're - they originally lobbied - right? - against this war, but now that this war is still raging, what's their position on it?
MYRE: Yeah. So we are talking about a half dozen countries, and they all have their own perspectives, of course. But broadly speaking, they're very nervous about how this war might end. I spoke with Hussein Ibish at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
HUSSEIN IBISH: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have developed real concerns about the prospect that Donald Trump could say, you know what? It's over. That's it. We won. Declare victory and walk away. Iran would end up weakened but radicalized and poised to strike more, deeper into their interests.
MYRE: So the Gulf countries want to come out of this war with guarantees that Iran can't threaten them, that the Strait of Hormuz will be open and secure. Their oil and gas exports absolutely depend on this. And these are mostly small desert countries heavily dependent on many imports as well.
CHANG: Right. And let's remember, none of these countries have attacked Iran. But every day, Iran is attacking them. So is there any end in sight, you think?
MYRE: No, there really isn't. And this was a real shock in the first days of the war, and now it's the norm. Today, Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile and at least 30 drones. Kuwait said a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a big fire at its airport. Over the course of the war, the United Arab Emirates says it's faced more than 2,000 missiles and drones. And the top target has been the city of Dubai, just a short distance across the Gulf from Iran. Again, here's Hussein Ibish.
IBISH: Dubai, in particular, is a very tempting target for Iran because its whole business model is based on offering the world a haven and a hub for commerce, for transport, for sport, for port management, for art and culture. That model breaks down if missiles are raining down on you.
CHANG: Absolutely. Well, then, to what extent, Greg, are these countries able to defend themselves? Or how much are they relying on the U.S. here?
MYRE: Yeah. The Gulf countries are mostly shooting down Iran's missiles and drones on their own at a very high rate - over 90%, according to the UAE and other countries. They all have top-of-the-line U.S. air defenses. And more broadly, the six countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council all have either a permanent or periodic U.S. military presence, and this is a key element in their overall security strategy. But the U.S. military is focused right now on defending its own bases and ships from attack.
Now, despite these defenses, desalination plants are still a huge vulnerability. These countries simply don't have enough fresh water. And an Iranian drone did hit Bahrain's desalination plant earlier this month, causing some damage. These plants are on the Gulf Coast and are at risk. If they're knocked out, this would create an instant water crisis.
CHANG: Well, on top of that, Greg, I mean, if some of these countries have been known as islands of relative stability in the Middle East, how much is that image of stability likely to suffer now, you think?
MYRE: Yeah, their brand is stability. These are six Arab Muslim nations. They're all hereditary monarchies. They prize continuity, predictability, and they want to keep the region's conflicts and extremism at bay. Now, they've had close relations with the U.S., but it's clear the Trump administration didn't take their advice or really listen to their concerns before the war.
CHANG: That is NPR's Greg Myre. Thank you, Greg.
MYRE: Sure thing, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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