US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm island push Gulf states to brace for escalation

The US military has reportedly conducted new strikes against Iran, targeting the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, just days before the US midterm elections, with Gulf states bracing for further escalation. The attack followed an earlier US missile strike on Tehran on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting thousands of Iranian rockets and drones against Israel and US-allied Gulf states. The UAE faced over 3,000 attacks until an April ceasefire, and the IMF projects Gulf Cooperation Council economic growth will drop by 5 percent this year. Gulf states have since invested billions in defense systems from the US, Ukraine, South Korea, and Israel, while forming new regional alliances. Iranian state media reported the Revolutionary Guards seized two US drones near Qeshm, and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered forces to prepare for retaliation "without geographical limits."