Gulf countries 'raging' they're 'collateral damage' in Trump's Iran bombing campaign

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

March 3, 2026 4:00PM ET


Gulf countries targeted by Iran after the U.S. and Israel attacks were reportedly frustrated by the escalating regional conflict, an analyst revealed Tuesday.

CNN's political and national security analyst David Sanger described how Iran's objective is to put financial pressure on the countries allied with the United States and Israel in the fallout over the military strikes, all while midterm elections loom for President Donald Trump.

"Look, the Iranians have one big mission here: it's survive," Sanger said. "If they're going to survive, they have to wait out President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. If they're going to wait out President Trump, it means they need to make it painful enough, long enough that he's beginning to get toward the elections.

You're beginning to see significant casualties. And it gets back to that question that Steve Witkoff, his chief envoy, asked about a week before the war broke out. During the negotiations, he said, 'The president is curious about why the Iranians haven't capitulated.' Well, the answer is that the whole meaning and purpose of the current Iranian state is to stand in opposition to the U.S., and so it's not as if, even with the loss of the Supreme Leader, that they're just going to say, 'well, this is over.'"

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/iran-strikes/

[Deminpenn]

1. Translation: Billions spent bribing Trump and all we got was their crummy war

at our front door.

[travelingthrulife]

9. Maybe file a complaint with Trump's Peace Board.

[cstanleytech]

13. More like piece as he wants a piece of the action.

[BattleRow]

16. Bored of Peace is more like it.

[Skittles]

2. see that's what Trump does

he got tired of shitting all over America so now he's taking his shitshow world-wide

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Aw, it can't be that bad for them.

Because they know how to stop Trump without having to take a lethal route. All they have to do is post the handful of videos of Trump that will force the Republican's hand in Washington. That's it. And the fact that no one is doing it means that maybe things are not as bad as they claim them to be.

[niyad]

7. ???

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Not clear enough?

Release the Epstein files! Or the ones that capture Trump committing heinous crimes with children. Not even the Republicans can allow him to continue in the White House once that's done.

[BattleRow]

17. Elon has been quite MIA ...

Holding his Trump card?
Namely Epstein files?

[Baitball Blogger]

18. He's quiet. Too quiet.

[BattleRow]

20. That's my impression,also.

I haven't had time to research his history with Israel and Iran,or the Middle East .
But it could prove titillating...

[BlueMTexpat]

4. WTF did

they expect when his head is WAY up Netanyahu's a**?

That's been plain for ALL to see!

[Dr. T]

5. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The bombing will continue until morale improves.

Terrorist recruitment is probably skyrocketing in the Middle East.

[Amaryllis]

15. Until morale improves? Whose morale? Explain please.

[Dr. T]

24. The morale of the Iranian people.

This is sarcasm.

The original quote was "The flogging will continue until morale improves." It's what ruthless boat captains would yell at the indentured prisoners who were forced to row their boats in medieval times.

The context in this case is that Donnie is demonstrating to the Iranian people that he will punish them until they submit loyalty to him.

[niyad]

6. Note: a case of poison ivy "breaks out". This insane war did NOT

"break out". It was deliberately started by power-hungry madmen with bloodlust.

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. You bought him,

he broke you. Sounds like a "you" problem.

[Clouds Passing]

11. And they mistakenly believed the liars weren't lying

[Bayard]

12. Qater should take back their jet

trump could care less about people being killed in other countries at his hands. They're just suckers and losers. Same attitude he has about Americans.

[Solly Mack]

14. Yeah. The Trump Regime doesn't care.

[Crowman2009]

19. Well they knew he was a snake before they left him in.

The gulf state monarchs are in a long line of people Donnie has ripped off. But unlike the contractors he ripped off in the 80's & 90's, I have no sympathy for these SOBs.

[RoseTrellis]

21. What is going on?

Iran’s neighbors weren’t victims of collateral damage, that implies they were accidentally hit while Iran was striking back at the US and Israel.
It seems like Iran specifically, deliberately shot missiles at their neighbors, who has absolutely nothing to do with any of this.
This is like a man who gives his wife a black and and then says “see what you made me do?”
Why would Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman blame the US for what Iran did?
Please explain it like I’m 5 years old…

[BumRushDaShow]

22. "It seems like Iran specifically, deliberately shot missiles at their neighbors"

Iran targeted U.S. BASES located on their neighbors' territory and that happened as a retaliation against the U.S. attacking Iran.

I.e., they were going after American assets in those "close-by" countries, and thus those countries became "collateral damage" in the U.S./Israel vs Iran dispute, because otherwise, Iran doesn't have ICBMs to directly hit the U.S.,and could only hit the closest things they could.

[FBaggins]

23. They haven't just targeted US bases

There are no US bases near the Saudi or Qatari refineries that were hit, as were water desalination facilities.

RoseTrellis is correct to question the "collateral damage" headline. But what they're missing is that it isn't the "Gulf Countries" that have said that. It's David Sanger badly misstating the case.

The Gulf states are being targeted because they support the US/Israel attacks and Iran knows it. They aren't angry at Trump's bombings... they're angry at Iran and getting close to joining the fray themselves.

[BumRushDaShow]

25. They targeted embassies and other locations

but as I wrote -

I.e., they were going after American assets in those "close-by" countries

Instead of parachuting in to "correct some record", how about doing some searches on your own and you might find something like this (which is outside of the LBN 12 hour cutoff) -

Gulf states on verge of acting against Iran over "reckless" strikes across region

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Mon 2 Mar 2026 11.04 EST
Last modified on Mon 2 Mar 2026 21.30 EST


Gulf states, encouraged by Donald Trump, are on the verge of ending their neutrality in the war against Iran in reprisal for Tehran's repeated "reckless and indiscriminate attacks" on their territory and infrastructure.

The calls, led by the United Arab Emirates from inside the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council, are for the Arab states to act in self-defence against Iran, but it would be a huge step for Gulf leaders in effect to side with Israel in a war that will determine the future shape of the Middle East, probably to the advantage of Israel.

(snip)

Yasmine Fariouk, Gulf and Arabian peninsula project director for the International Crisis Group, said: �The Gulf countries now are at a point where there�s a lot of anger at Iran. Many of them have invested a lot in the detente with Iran and in mediating and trying to find solutions only to find that Iran still sees them as a platform for its bigger war with the US and with Israel.�

There is also some dismay at the US. One Saudi Arabian official complained to Al Jazeera about US priorities. �The United States abandoned the Gulf states and redirected its air defence to protect Israel. They left all the Gulf states that host American military bases at the mercy of Iranian strikes,� the official said.

[LudwigPastorius]

27. Iran's play is a war of attrition while it brings the world economy into a major recession.

Not only can it continue to make the Strait of Hormuz impassable, but it has been hitting, and will continue to hit, oil and gas facilities throughout the ME.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/4/which-oil-and-gas-facilities-in-the-gulf-have-been-attacked

[Old Crank]

26. The international version of leopards eating my face.

They all knew how incompetent he is.
They know his lacks are fools.
Why are they surprised?

[JI7]

28. The Gulf Countries are on Israel's side. In public they want to pretend they have nothing to do with any of this

but many of these Muslim nations like what Israel is doing and support it.