DUBAI/RIYADH:
Gulf states, home to multiple US military bases, were on high alert on Sunday with their leaders calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint following US strikes on Iran that raised the possibility of a wider conflict in the region.
Leaders including the United Arab Emirates president, the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who had all hosted Trump last month for a tour of the region, discussed the serious implications of the escalation for international and regional security, the UAE state news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia was on a high-security alert after the US strikes, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Sunday, while Bahrain urged motorists to avoid main roads. Kuwait said its defence council would remain in permanent session, and set up shelters in a ministries complex.
Tehran has previously warned that if it were attacked by the United States, it could target American assets in the region, including US military bases. The country’s parliament approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz , through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows.
Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet and there are US bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as in neighbouring Qatar and the UAE. Nuclear authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE said they had not detected signs of nuclear contamination following the strikes in Iran.
The US strikes added to airline woes with Singapore Airlines cancelling flights to Dubai and British Airways cancelling flights to and from Dubai and Doha. Airlines have been avoiding flying over large parts of the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel, due to ongoing missile exchanges
