Why is Iran bombing Gulf states while avoiding US naval assets and Israel?
Analysts suggest Iran is strategically targeting Gulf state infrastructure while avoiding direct confrontation with US naval forces and Israel, aiming to pressure Washington without escalating the conflict. The approach reflects calculations about military risk and regional dynamics.
As the United States intensifies military operations against Iran, Tehran has responded by striking infrastructure across Gulf nations and Jordan while deliberately avoiding engagement with American naval forces positioned near its coastline and Israeli targets. Military analysts characterize this approach as a calculated strategy designed to apply pressure on the Trump administration without broadening the scope of regional conflict.
The United States has conducted strikes against Iranian railway infrastructure, power facilities, telecommunications networks, and water supply systems. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted civilian airports and water and power installations in Kuwait and Bahrain. According to retired Lebanese military analyst Elias Hanna, attacking US naval assets would provoke a severe American response, and such operations present significant military challenges given the sophisticated air defense systems protecting these vessels.
Iranian officials have justified attacks on Gulf states by claiming that US military operations originate from bases located on their territory. However, this argument has strained relations between Tehran and neighboring countries, as Gulf states have consistently denied allowing their territories to be used as launching points for attacks against Iran. University of Tehran political science professor Atifeh Taghiani contends that international law permits Iranian retaliation against any nation from which attacks are launched, and that Washington deliberately targets Iranian civilian infrastructure to deepen regional hostility.
Kuwait University political science professor Abdullah al-Shayji rejected these Iranian claims as propaganda, noting that US strikes originate from aircraft carriers George W Bush and Abraham Lincoln positioned approximately 150 kilometers from the Iranian coast. According to al-Shayji, Gulf states have agreed with the United States that American forces in the region serve strictly defensive purposes and have informed Iran that their territory will not be used for offensive operations. He emphasized that Iran has provided no evidence supporting its allegations regarding Gulf state involvement in US military operations.
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