The World Ambassador
TWA
_________
Growing anxiety is sweeping across Gulf Arab nations over the potential consequences of a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. The concerns center on possible environmental contamination, especially to shared waters, and the looming threat of Iranian retaliation targeting U.S. assets based in the region.
Residents of Oman have begun circulating emergency guidelines via messaging apps, advising people to seal their homes and switch off ventilation in the event of a nuclear incident. Meanwhile, Bahrain has activated 33 emergency shelters and conducted a nationwide test of warning sirens, signaling heightened readiness.
Media outlets throughout the Middle East are publishing survival instructions to prepare civilians for radiation leaks. Elham Fakhro, a Bahraini scholar at Harvard’s Middle East Initiative, highlighted fears of both environmental disaster and military reprisal. “There is fear of contamination, especially in the Persian Gulf’s shared waters,” she said, “and also of retaliatory strikes on U.S. military bases in the region.”
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant, located on the Gulf coast, is closer to many Arab capitals than to Tehran. Experts warn that any strike on this facility could poison the waters that supply drinking water to more than 60 million people through desalination plants. Countries like Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE could run out of water in under a week if contamination occurs.
In a televised interview earlier this year, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani warned, “If Bushehr is hit, the water would be entirely contaminated. No water, no fish, no life… Qatar, UAE, and Kuwait would run dry in just three days.” Qatar has since constructed vast emergency water reserves in anticipation of such a disaster.
As fears escalate, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has activated its Kuwait-based Emergency Management Centre to coordinate preventive actions across member states including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.
Diplomatic rhetoric from Gulf leaders is intensifying. The UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed warned against “reckless and miscalculated actions that could spill beyond Iran and Israel’s borders.” Qatar’s foreign ministry echoed similar concerns, particularly about the threat to regional water sources.
Despite assurances of safety from Gulf governments, public unease is growing. A resident in Abu Dhabi expressed confidence in local preparedness, but added, “I would feel worried if the US strikes Iran – what follows is unpredictable.” A resident in Dubai noted a shift in mood, saying, “Everyone is stressed… War feels near.”
Meanwhile, U.S. officials indicate that former President Donald Trump is increasingly considering a military option over diplomacy to resolve the Iran-Israel conflict. “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said Wednesday, signaling unpredictability.
While Gulf nations continue to present themselves as stable, tax-free havens for foreign investors and workers, the shadow of regional escalation is beginning to challenge that perception.
