Iran Targets U.S. Bases Across Five Gulf Nations in Retaliation for Joint Military Operation

Dubai, Saturday, 28 February 2026.
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the Middle East entered a critical phase of conflict as Iran launched a coordinated ballistic missile barrage targeting United States military personnel in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan. This broad offensive serves as a direct retaliation to “Operation Epic Fury,” a massive joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign initiated hours earlier to neutralize Iranian threats. While regional air defense systems intercepted most projectiles, the strikes caused one civilian fatality in the UAE and forced the closure of airspace across the Gulf, disrupting major transit hubs like Dubai and Doha. Amidst this escalation, President Trump has explicitly encouraged the Iranian people to overthrow their government, signaling a decisive shift in U.S. policy towards regime change while global markets brace for potential impacts on energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.