Dubai (Somalia Today) – The United States is rebuffing requests from Gulf Arab allies to replenish their depleted air defence systems as they face a barrage of Iranian missiles, a report said Monday.
Washington’s reluctance to resupply its partners comes as the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran triggers massive regional blowback, the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal reported.
Gulf nations hosting strategic American military bases have found themselves highly vulnerable to direct retaliation from Tehran.
At least one Gulf state recently targeted by Iran asked US officials about restocking its munitions but was “brushed off,” MEE reported, citing a former US official.
‘Stonewalling’ requests
Another Gulf government responded to Washington’s request to use its air bases by demanding concrete commitments to resupply its air defence systems, the report said, citing a Western official.
But Washington is “stonewalling” the requests because its own stockpiles are running dangerously low, the former US official told Middle East Eye.
“Whatever munitions were produced in the last couple of months, we have shot several years’ worth of production in the last few days,” the official was quoted as saying.
The hesitation highlights a severe vulnerability in the Western military-industrial supply chain, already under immense strain from the war in Ukraine.
Although the US has not issued formal denials to its Gulf partners, officials are actively discouraging Arab capitals from requesting immediate refills.
Costly defence
Gulf nations operate deeply layered, multi-billion-dollar air defence networks.
The United Arab Emirates relies heavily on US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot PAC-3 systems, alongside its domestic Skynight platform.
According to Emirati government tallies, the UAE has intercepted 814 of the 871 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles fired at it since the US-Israeli offensive began on Saturday.
The interception rate stands at more than 93 percent, but the financial and material burn rate is staggering.
Military doctrine typically dictates firing two to three interceptors to guarantee the destruction of a single incoming ballistic missile.
With Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptors costing approximately four million dollars each, sustaining the shield is prohibitively expensive.
“The UAE has now burned through a significant chunk of an interceptor stockpile that took years to build,” Kelly Grieco, a defence expert at the Stimson Center, wrote on the social media platform X.
Gulf bases targeted
Neighbouring states have also borne the brunt of the Iranian assault.
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, reported shooting down at least 45 projectiles.
Qatar, home to the sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base and the forward headquarters of US Central Command, announced Monday it had shot down two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets.
While US defence contractor Lockheed Martin has announced plans to drastically increase annual Patriot interceptor production capacity from roughly 600 units to 2,000, manufacturing ramps take years to materialise.
In a bid to reassure nervous allies, US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday.
The leaders discussed the “blatant Iranian attacks” on the UAE and the wider Gulf, according to an Emirati readout of the call.
Economic fallout
Washington is also shifting its naval assets to project power and shore up regional defences.
Firas Maksad, Middle East director at the Eurasia Group, told MEE that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departed the Mediterranean on Monday, charting a course for the Gulf.
But for the Gulf states, the rapid depletion of air defence systems poses an existential threat to their economies.
The Iranian retaliation has already forced precautionary shutdowns affecting liquefied natural gas (LNG) output in Qatar and multiple oil refineries in Saudi Arabia, rattling global energy markets.
The Gulf remains acutely aware of its infrastructure vulnerabilities following a 2019 drone and missile swarm that temporarily knocked out more than half of Saudi Arabia’s crude production.
As they absorb the shockwaves of the US-Israel campaign, Gulf officials face a blunt reality: their protective shield is unravelling faster than it can be repaired.
