After the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, sounds of explosions also started to be heard in Middle Eastern countries. In response to the attack, Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Israel and US military bases in Middle Eastern countries.
Iranian officials had previously warned that if attacked, they would target US military facilities in the region.
Iran has so far carried out attacks on nine Arab countries in the region - Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Cyprus.
But could this lead to war between these Arab countries and Iran?
In a statement to Modern.az, Political commentator Rufiz Hafizoğlu stated that Iran claims its targets in the attacks are not Arab countries, but US military bases:
“With this statement, Iran is trying to insure itself. Despite striking Arab countries, Iran has not launched strikes against the US-owned Incirlik military base in Turkey. In fact, this itself shows how serious Iran is or isn't about this issue. That is, if Iran is not striking the Incirlik military bases in Turkey, then the target in the initial stage is not US military bases.”
The political commentator emphasized that Arab countries do not have the capability to open a military front against Iran:
“We have very positive, dynamic relations with Arab countries. But Arab countries are not players in this matter. For example, Saudi Arabia buys billions of dollars worth of weapons, but none of them can be used against either Iran or the Houthis. Because there is no potential. Military power does not depend solely on the presence of weapons. However, generally speaking, Arab countries can form a front against Iran. They have already formed a front. But this front is not at the level of armed resistance; it is limited to intercepting missiles launched by Iran and preventing flights from military bases there. Therefore, there is no Arab country that will go head-to-head with Iran. Only Egypt and Algeria have such potential. However, both are far from the region and do not want to get involved in the issue. But Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE do not have the military potential to fight against Iran. These countries could not do anything against the Houthis, Iran's proxy forces, for years. In this regard, even if they open a front, they will not pose a serious problem for Iran.”
Political scientist Zardusht Alizadeh stated that Iran's strikes on Arab countries are legal:
“Arab countries are statelets that hate and distrust each other. Before the war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi informed Arab countries that the US and Israel were preparing to attack them and called on them to remove their forces from their countries. They ignored this call. They thought the US would defend them. US military bases are located in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman. What should Iran do but strike them? They are bombing Iran, devastating it, killing its officials.”
The political scientist also spoke about the possibility of Arab countries declaring war on Iran:
“Saudi Arabia has already announced that it is declaring war on Iran. After this announcement, Saudi Arabia was struck, and its oil refinery was hit. Saudi Arabia understands that it does not have the capability to wage war with Iran, and that Iran is much stronger than them. Although Saudi Arabia organized attacks on Yemen for years by gathering several countries around it, it achieved nothing. Yes, this country has many modern military technologies. But it does not have an army capable of fighting. They are good at eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Neither the UAE, Oman, nor Qatar have the power to launch a military attack on Iran. Even if they wanted to, they could not.”
