A Review of articles of: Hesham Alghannam, @ Al-Jazeera, titled: Iran’s Legal Case for Striking the Gulf Collapses Under Scrutiny; Dr. Dania K Khatib, @ ArabNews, titled: Gulf States Building Trust Through Iran War Responses; and Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, @ ArabNews, titled: When can American bases be removed?

The profiles of the three writers no doubt portray them as resource persons in government policies and opinion shapers among the populace. In their articles, they all contested the justification of the Iranian strikes on Gulf Arab territory by their logic and UN Charters. Yet by their reasoning, they lack the right discretion and are not principled enough to see, blame or condemn either the US or Israel for attacking Iran and are also lacking humane instinct to pity or sympathize with Iran on the murderous act and betrayal of UN and Peace negotiations process carried out by both the US and Israel. Unfortunately, this is the same stance that most Arab leaders has assumed!

Like many others, I read with total nostalgia the articles mentioned above! Hesham referred to efforts on peace brokered by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman as a case, why Iran should not have targeted the Gulf nations? But it is a peace brokered with hypocrisy and one sidedness that largely satisfies the whims of the US and Israel. Like the so called peace brokered between Palestine and Israel and the West over decades that yielded nothing benefitting the Palestine State other than continued repression of the Palestinians and destruction of the billions of dollar invested by the same Gulf Arab States in building and rebuilding infrastructures destroyed by US bombs, because the US and Israel have seen Gulf States as inconsequential to anything against their wishes. Whether US or Israel do the right or wrong thing the Gulf States leadership are not ready and dare not to blame, punish or tell the truth to the face of US and Israel because they have become irrelevant and inconsequential to the US deeds. The point is that no, not even a single blame is pointed to the US and Israel by these writers in their articles. And this are opinion shapers and their sub-mediocrity mentality being shared and absorbed by many Arab leaders with skewed views against the truth and justice.

Hesham in turn blamed Iran for violating the JCPOA terms, saying, “…The record of Iran’s compliance with IAEA regulations, including the enrichment of uranium to a purity level of 60 percent or more in 2023–2024, interference with inspections, the removal of monitoring cameras, and the overall violation of the non-proliferation regime, has undermined the credibility of the state significantly.” But this stance of Iran was a later position after the US unilateral withdrawal and introduction of needless sanctions, plus failure of the EU to fulfil their own part and mitigate US sanctions. Knowing full well that Iran was fully complied with the JCPOA 100% before Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the deal and truncated everything yet these writers and leaders of Gulf Arab States want Iran to stay quietly complied after the other party turned the table and unilaterally attacked. Never seen or imagined the kind of hypocritical mindset of the Arabs – writers and leaders! It is appalling that they are exhibiting the worst form of human logic. But then if Iran is seen in the prism of reactional violator of disrupted deal, then what would you call US of it deliberate unilateral pull-out from the deal that was working and not that alone implemented of murderous sanctions on Iran until it cannot bear the pressure and then reacted?

Gulf States being seen as inconsequential to US wishes, the Qatar brokered nuclear talk between Iran and the US in 2025, was shattered by the US and Israel but Qatar and other Arabs States did nothing to condemn or punish the US and Israel for the betrayal and bombardment of diplomacy. The same thing happened this year 2026, when Oman provided back-channel diplomacy between Iran and US. Again, US and Israel bombed the diplomatic table, killed Iranian leaders, civilian nuclear scientist, innocent civilians, yet Oman and its sister Arab States have nothing to punish US and Israel for violating the negotiating table for the second time because they are inconsequential before the US and Israel. Saudi Arabia maintained direct dialogue with Iran was as a result of China push, yet mixed with backdoor hypocrisy dictated by the US that influence almost everything on how to relates with Iran to suite US and Israel. Barring hypocrisy and falsehood, in what way would any ideal person blame Iran’s decision to attack the bases and assets of US and Israel in the Gulf States that are no doubt contributing passively and actively to intelligent roles of the US and Israel elsewhere to attack Iran? So not that the real diplomacy failed by any reason or act, but was overtaken by betrayal conduct of the US that strains the legal principles governing its right execution. More importantly, the fact that Trump have said that Gulf Arab nations will have to pay for the war with Iran has exposed the lie of these writers and Arab leaders that they know nothing about the war. But indeed, the war is partly financed and influenced by the Arab nations and so they will pay, they dare not refuse Trump! However, Iran has warned earlier before the war, to attacking those bases of US and Israel, if it is attacked, which it did anyway but the extent of the net of attack caught both the US and Arabs unaware!

One thing that will elicit the hypocrisy of the Gulf Arab States is loss of morality, commonsense and humane feeling and it is unbelievable that a leader of a neighborhood country and thousands of innocents including underage pupils were brutally killed while the process of peace led by one of you -Oman, a Gulf nation was on. Yet neither strong condemnation of this dastardly and murderous act of the US and Israel nor a solace of condolence on the big loss that hit Iran on the betrayal act on the ongoing peace deal was uttered by none of the Gulf Arab State leaders, not even the above-named writers! Such is unexplained wickedness and injustice! More importantly, this massacre happened to Muslims like them, in the very holy month of Ramadan while fasting! Display of common sense and morality, Gulf Arab States lost it; expression of concern for humanity they showed no interest; project true Islamic teaching, they failed! While France and Britain reluctantly allowed the US to use their bases, while Spanish President bluntly refused Trump request and told the truth to his face that the war on Iran is unjust, while Joe Kent, the Head of US Counterterrorism Centre resigned and declared that he cannot in good conscience support the unjust war on Iran, while many leaders around the world consoled Iran on the murdered of their leaders and killing of many civilian including about 170 underage school pupils, while many people are protesting in US, EU, Asia, Africa to support Iran innocence against unprovoked murderous attack by the US and Israel, the Gulf Arab States do not see reason to align with humanity, justice and truth but have taken to the very opposite against their conscience! Whichever position they assume, they remain inconsequential, so inconsequential that Trump has to use weird, vulgar and disgracing words to describe the deal between him and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince, saying: “he (Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman) will soon come kissing my ass!’ If MBS, the leader of Gulf Arab States is kissing Trump’s ass, then others have no choice but to eat his shit! That is the shame and disgrace Arab leadership has brought unto itself and unfortunately indirectly smearing it on Islam, the very faith they profess!

With unresponsiveness and inconsequential status, cowardice and hypocrisy of the Gulf Arab nations to US and Israel atrocities, it is difficult to denounce Iran action on all moral and legal ground, let alone mis-interpreting or say the self-defense claimed by Iran does not meet required legal threshold under Article 51 of the UN charter. One wonders what the Writers like Hesham, Dania and Abdulrahman would say or do, if it were Iran that started the war in June 2025 and in February 2026 while the negotiations were on going? It is certain that, if that is the case the UN article will not be relevant to all of them but every blame will be shifted to Iran. But it is their master and protector, US and its best ally-Israel that started the war, the hypocrisy in their hearts will not allow them to blame either but the oppressed Iran, saying: ‘Iran has not demonstrated necessity and proportionality by targeting the territory of the sovereignty Arab states in response to the policy decisions of the United State is neither necessary, since diplomatic and UN avenues are still available, since it imposes military consequence on states that are not a party to any conflict with Iran” This kind of legal rationale is laughable and sorry state of argument that US itself will not respect!

Gulf nations not openly standing up against Iran is not out of unwillingness or rational choice but out of hypocrisy and fear of more destruction and conscience pricking them. Iran is not touting war! It didn’t start the war but the US master and protector of Arabs started it. Iran has said it, is not at war with any Gullf states but with the murderous and terrorist nations that cited bases, assets and diplomatic espionage on Arab soil. And what is wrong in that anyway if Arabs have a spark of truth in them?

Again, citing Article (3f) of the Annex of United Natin that states: “an act of aggression includes the “action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State”, and denying it saying:” … Nevertheless, the mere presence of military bases is not sufficient to hold them to be lawful military objectives; this will depend on their actual contribution to military activities against Iran based on the rules of international humanitarian law” and further added: “..The presence of US troops or bases in the Gulf has been a fact for decades, and this has not constituted armed aggression against Iran under any legal standard.” This show degree of denial and falsehood in the hearts of the writer and what is being pumped into the heads of many Arab leaders. The argument is strange, which will not hold water before this writer or any Arab leader if Iran had attacked first! Reason why when he later sensed the idiocy of the argument he wrote: “even if Article 3(f) were applicable, the appropriate course would be to bring the matter to the Security Council, not to launch unilateral military strikes.” He is blind to and satisfied with the US unilateral military strikes on Iran. So, what will happen if Iran bring the matter to the toothless and armless Security Council? The dozens of cases that Gulf States and whole world took to the Security Council on Palestine, or Lebanon, or Syria and Venezuela and Ukraine, what came out of them? They want Iran to be plaint as they have perpetually confined themselves to plaint under pressure, deceit and falsehood of US and Isarel.

Hesham argued: “Sovereignty cannot be dictated by a neighbour’s strategic preferences” –Right, but this is exactly what the US and Israel have done to the Gulf Arab States and want to extend to Iran! Iran on the other hand is not really doing that to its neighbours, but to check them of impostor that has deceitfully lodged and lord itself on their lands and against their sovereignty. Otherwise, the argument is true only if the neighbour’s strategic preferences are sensible and true of peace installing! One cannot but be disturbed seeing the senseless and cowardice gathering of US bases on almost entire lands of the Gulf Arab States with close proximity, the like of which, cannot be seen elsewhere in the world even in Africa. That cluster US bases in the Gulf made it uncontestable evidence that Arabs have lost their sovereignty, self-respect, sense of morality in fear of imaginary enemy-Iran. And US noticing this, has continued to exploit them in detriment to Iran security and advancement. Thus, such Iran reaction is not empirically self-defeating as claimed by the writer, but ingeniously collective protection and total emancipation of the whole region!

Hesham said: “..The obvious consequence (of Iran striking Arab nations), evident in the data, is that the states in the region and external powers are becoming more, rather than less, securely integrated. The Fifth Fleet’s permanent base in Bahrain, the UAE’s negotiations over F-35s, Saudi Arabia’s deployments of THAADs, and Qatar’s expansion of the Al Udeid base are reactions to Iran’s escalation, not causes of it…”, while Dania said:, “Some who were either uncomfortable with or jealous of the Arab Gulf’s success are now saying that Gulf prosperity was built on security and stability…Gulf countries have used advanced US-made systems, specifically Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot, to block attacks on their territory. In addition to the high interception rate, Gulf countries have a good early warning system”. Is a funny and thoughtless claim! Both celebrating slavery to US and its defeat able technology! Jealous of what? Success and prosperity built on master-slave relation with US, security built on foreign tech you don’t have control over, all are crumbling before your eyes. It was displayed when Israel went to attack the Hamaz negotiation team in Qatar in, which US switched off the so-called warning system for Israel to operate freely undetected! It is like a house built by phlegm, ordinary dew will demolish it. Iran ditching of Gulf Arab States sensitive protection hard-wares and US dependent prosperity is even better for them so that they take necessary caution and windup those bases before the US or Israel draw total destruction on them in case they attack stronger nations like India, Russia and China through their bases in the Gulf.

If any nation in the Gulf is to be jealous, it is Iran in its advancement in almost all facet of endeavors despite sanction of 47 years! Abdulrahman almost stated this in his article when he said: “Regionally, Iran is an undeniable military power and this is one of the reasons for the outbreak of the pre-emptive war to stop the growth of its nuclear and missile capabilities. Its factories produce thousands of missiles and drones that were not a commercial business but a political project aimed at destabilizing the region”. But then he soon followed it up to where lies the problem of the Arabs and evil planted in them by the US and Israel as he said: “The war has revealed that Iran was planning to use its arsenal in its expansionist project, whose frantic destructive activity we see in the strikes against six Gulf countries”. The question is how long shall the Arabs continue to live in fear of illusory Iran expansionist project? They are no more afraid of Israel that possess nuclear bombs and revealed it expansionist project of ‘Greater Israel’ both in words and in actions but their own brother that has nothing to effect such notion which of course it denied and which they can easily countered by start mustering their own strength together for future containment of Iran, if at all it tries that notion in the future. It seems Arabs does not realize that it is better that one is defeated by his own brother rather than be humiliated by an outsider! Can Iran fight such brutal war with any Arab nation like what is experiencing in the hands of US and Israel? Which Arab nations will genocidally destroy themselves like what Israel did in Palestine? That is the reason why Gulf Arab states should come to their senses and know that Iran is a lesser devil to them if at all it is, compared to Israel and the US!

Dania said:“People living in the Gulf cannot notice any difference when they do their grocery shopping. The aisles are well stocked with a variety of perishables”. – Celebrating peace that is largely hinged to subservient to US and Israel dictates and inherent fear and docility to the genocide on people of Palestine, freedom of which their helpless and cowardice status will never bring into fruition. If hardships are a test of resilience, strength and decision-making, then it is Iran that has proved it not any of the Gulf Arab States and with what Iran has displayed in this war, there is no doubt that if Arabs have all rallied around Iran to fight Israel, then Palestine would have been emancipated there is no doubt in that, but would the jealousy of Iran allow them to fight for truth and justice? US and Israel are targeting Iran not for the alleged crimes but because;- 1) Iran is standing for the freedom of the Palestine with its proxies around Israel to make Israel ungovernable without the sovereign State of Palestine, which the US, EU and Arab years of fake and endless negotiations have failed to produced; Let Israel pronounce the free State of Palestine today and Iran enmity for Israel will vanish! 2)- Iran is seen as the only power to challenge and disrupt the expansionist Israeli project of Greater Israel, and 3)- The implication of Iran advancement that will stem dependent on the US and EU and bail out Muslim States from the shackles of the West, yet the Gulf States are either not aware or are themselves envy Iran or have decided to remain underdog of the West for life.

Saying: “Iran’s legal rationale was always theoretically wrong. What has occurred since February 28, 2026, has made Iran’s actions morally and politically wrong. Iran did not simply target US military assets…Iran escalated its attacks in deliberate stages… The US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by Iran. International airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait were attacked by Iranian missiles…This is not self-defence. This is the collective punishment of sovereign nations that went to extraordinary lengths to avoid the conflict…The rationale provided by Iran falls flat when one considers the actions Iran itself took. Its doctrine held that only targets involved in the preparation or launch of an attack against Iran were legitimate targets”.”.- The remark of course is expression of hypocrisy and sheer falsehood.1) Arab nations tried to avoid open conflict with Iran because they’ve dubiously contracted out the job to the US and Israel. 2) Iran targeted those places because they were connected directly and indirectly with activity of US and Israel military operations which cannot be denied. Military personnel and equipment were kept in them. It was on the civilian airport of Saudi Arabia that Iran drones attacked five US military intel aircraft- AWAC and air tankers. So, what is wrong in all this, and more so it is the usual practice of both US and Israel! All the Gulf Arab nations are intercepting Iran missiles that is not coming to their land but going to Israel. Moreso, the current air defense architecture integrates US, Israel and Arabs systems – largely in the protection of Isarel than these Arab nations is obvious in the ongoing war. So, in what way are Arabs not engaged in the conflict? Diplomacy of course operates within a legal order; it is not self-executing, its effectiveness depends on respecting the right of other side which mitigate the possible misuse of force. The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is failing because Saudi is not only negotiating for itself but for its master US and secret ally Israel

Whatever US and Israel tell the Gulf States about Iran is sacrosanct, whatever action they take on it, is all acceptable, the like which made Abdulrahman said “:… it (Iran) was in its prime and at the peak of its popularity (by 80’s). Today, it is old and has lost its popularity, especially among the young generations, who are aware of its policies and reject the squandering of their country’s wealth on wars in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Africa and South America”. This statement is nothing more than false US rhetoric planted in their brains. The assertion is irrelevant and lacks substance, as he intentionally overlooked the brutal effects of 47 years sanctions which Gulf nations also contribute, and the like of which no country has ever faced or can survived. If not serious and prudent organization of Iran plus reasonable tech self-dependent, the like of these writers will be celebrating its downfall by now. And despite the excruciating sanction, Iran is still managing to do what is necessary in the foreign sphere especially pressurizing the US and Israel through those nations mentioned by Abdulrahmon, to allow Palestine to breath, which the Gulf Arab States have virtually abandoned in exchange for forced accord with Israel and deceitful US defense pact. Iranians are not caged or brain-washed to settle for whatever their government does, like their counterparts in the Arab world and they are objective to developments. Since the attack of US and Israel began, the youths have not revolted against their leaders, instead they have rallied round the regime in strong support refilling every position created by US and Israel bombing and killing, no deflection from anyone even the sectional leaders because they understood that they are being attacked and sanctioned unjustly. It will be unwise, retrogression and suicidal for any sensible youth or any Iranian to prefer the like of slavery life to US and Israel the Arabs leaders have subjected their people to, that dictate what course of study they should and should not study or how far they should go in nuclear research! Like US slogan, Abdulrahman also said: “The Iran of the 1980s is the Iran of today, spreading chaos and terrorism. Its regime is the last rogue state standing, after Saddam, Muammar Qaddafi and Bashar Assad were eliminated” The sadist expectation is clearly revealed! ‘Only rogue state standing! And must be brought down!! Is this remark not indicative of Gulf Arab nations complicit in the present conflict? So why blaming Iran for targeting Arab assets used to engineering the attacks by agents of Arabs -the US and Israel? It shows these writers and their leaders are not happy with the resistance being displayed by Iran or little destruction it is inflicting on US and Israel but they are very happy and eager to see total destruction of Iran by the US and Israel. This is at a time when more than 100 International law experts in the United States have just signed a letter emphasizing that the US attacks on Iran are instances of war crimes! Undoubtedly a defeated Iran will in the long run spell doom for all the Gulf Arab States in the hands of US and Israel.

Abdulrahmon even went on memory lane joining the battle between Iran and Iraq in the 80’s saying, At the time, Iraq was also attacking Iranian oil tankers. Tehran not only attacked Iraqi naval forces but also the naval vessels of Gulf countries, just as it attacks its Gulf neighbors today. When the US navy’s Fifth Fleet entered the region, an American warship was hit by an Iranian naval mine. That incident changed the rules of engagement, as the US became an active party in the crisis, and naval battles ensued... Iran targeted Kuwait’s oil tankers and struck Gulf maritime installations, so Kuwait requested support and American flags were raised on the tankers, which were escorted by American naval vessels. With the internationalization of the war, Iran’s naval military capabilities and oil platforms were destroyed”.- That is their joy, but that destroyed naval force has been rebuilt and now destroyed again along with many of the Gulf Arab nations’ assets that will take years to rebuild, while the US continued to enjoy uninterrupted development in its land. How long will the vicious circle continue among clueless brothers filled with needless pathology hatred against Iran, but whom US forced into accord with Israel but refused and cannot replicate the same among themselves? Iraq started the war with Iran and then quickly joined by other Arab States, got the US and EU support. When Kuwait allowed the US to have base on its soil, because of a defeated Iran by then, what then caused other dozen of Gulf Arab States setting-up bases for US if not ulterior motives with hatred and injustice?

By US programming propaganda, Iran has become more devilish to Gulf than the US itself or Israel, whereas Iran is a micro-organized image of the US disorderly macro global representation. And it is on record that, by killing, destruction and destabilization of that gulf region, Iran is no near US and Israel, yet Arabs refused to reason, they are blinded by intrinsic ethnic hatred. They cannot forgive Iran of its petty violence but they are eager to overlook and forgive US and Israel wantons’ killings and destructions in many of the Gulf States and around the world. The Iran/Gulf States cannot be allowed to advance in nuclear programme but are satisfied to be slave of nuclear products to the US and Israel. Using divide and rule, if Osama bin Laden- a Saudi as well as other twelve terrorists who carried out 9/11 attack on US were Iranian citizens, US and its allies would have alleged it to Iranian government and attacked Iran not Afghanistan. If it were Iran government that massacred Khassogi, it would have attracted serious sanctions and reverberate every time in the book of US and EU and live for eternity and the like of these writers would have put it as part of history to blame Iran for present conflict, but because it was Saudi Arabia - slave of US that did the dastardly act, nothing spoils. The freedom of women in Iran is no doubt larger than that of Saudi Arabia, yet that of Iran is a crime not Saudis. Apart of the Spiritual leader that is selected in Iran even by team of ulama, election takes take place every four years to elect their president, governors and parliamentarians and yet US is not satisfied but has no problem with authoritarian Kings in Gulf Arabs states that have no democracy in their dictionary of governance, so far they pay obeyance to US wills!

Arabs who supposed to set pace for moral justice in war and at peace, have bought into sheer injustice and needless animosity even against themselves! The memory of unreasonable sanctions and embarrassing standoff and embargo of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirate and Bahrain against Qatar in 2017 with the list of outlandish demands that placed Qatar in a position of a colonized state rather than a sovereign nation, is still fresh in mind! They include: ‘scaling down diplomatic ties with Iran and closure of Iranian diplomatic missions in Qatar; closure of Turkey military base in Qatar, halting of military cooperation with Turkey; shutting down of Al-Jazeera and its affiliates stations; aligning Qatar military, political, social and economic policies with the other Gulf and Arab countries; and severing ties to all "terrorist, sectarian and ideological organizations," testifies to how unreasonable Arab States are. They have all this for their own brother but not a single sanction not even strong condemnation against the US and Israel on the genocidal war in Palestine, Lebanon or Syria over two years. In fact, they even helped Israel to move its consignments through their land borders when Yemen Houthi block the Red sea. It is nauseating!

US-Israel evil has no limit, with lie, and deceit and speculation. Thinking that when Ayatollah is dead, Iran will collapse, and when that didn’t happen, they started killing every available leader with funny excuse to justify the kill. The medical nuclear scientists and civil engineers were not spared, Secretary to leader has to be killed, and many political and spiritual leaders must die by US and Israel assessment and the horrific scenes get acceptance of the Gulf Arab writers and heads. But unlike the Gulf leaders, Spanish Defense Minister, like her President, lady Margarita Robles asserts what Gulf leaders are afraid to say or uphold, as she said: “The US and Israel cannot be the sole arbiters of what constitutes peace or the rules that govern our world…The stance of Spanish does not signify a rupture in the transatlantic relationship and that Spain’s security and defense policies are fundamentally grounded in a steadfast and unequivocal commitment to world peace and adherence to the international legal order”. That is the truth of the matter, but the International legal order is been bastardized by US and Israel and it is a pity that while such disorderliness is not getting the acceptance of nations like Spain, Canadian, France and Italian leaders also aligned with Spain saying, ‘the war on Iran is an indication of the collapse of the world order’, unfortunately the Arab nations that supposed to be the moral compass of the world order during war and peaceful periods have been enmeshed in total moral decadence and accepted injustice with open hands, they have submitted to murderous evil nations!

Joe Kent’s resolve to resign as the Head of US Counterterrorism Centre and remarked that “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started the war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”, has vindicated Iran from all falsehood of Trump and Nethanyahu, from doubt of EU and from imaginary fear of the Gulf nations, including the writers of the reviewed articles. If they have conscience like Joe and truly want peace. Then, they all supposed to stand up against the US like the Spanish President and sanction both the US and Israel, and enter into descent and respectful treaty with Iran. US indeed deserved stringent punishment from the Gulf States and all the world for plunging the region into turmoil on behalf of Israel, which has caused great economy suffering globally!