The IAC between Iran and Saudi Arabia was triggered on 28 February 2026 when Iran launched several strikes against Saudi Arabia targeting Prince Sultan Air Base.¹‘What are the implications of Iran’s strikes on Gulf Arab states?’, Al Jazeera, 3 March 2026. Where US soldiers and the Saudi government collaborate on air and missile defence. The missiles directed at this base were intercepted.²‘Photos show aftermath from Iran’s waves of retaliatory strikes’, Reuters, 30 March 2026. The US Embassy in Riyadh was also targeted in the initial wave of attacks.³L. Korte, ‘Here’s what’s going on at US bases in Middle East amid Iran attacks’, Stars and Stripes, 1 March 2026; ‘Drones strike US base in Iraq, Doha explosions, as Iran hits region in war’, Al Jazeera, 5 March 2026; ‘Hundreds of drones target Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE amid Iran war’, Al Jazeera, 4 March 2026. Saudi Arabia saw near-daily drone, ballistic, and cruise missile attacks from Iran between 28 February and 8 April.⁴P. Hempel et al, ‘Iran Update Special Report, April 8, 2026’, Institute for the Study of War, 8 April 2026. The IAC between Iran and Saudi Arabia was ongoing at the time of reporting.

• 1
  ‘What are the implications of Iran’s strikes on Gulf Arab states?’, Al Jazeera, 3 March 2026.
• 2
  ‘Photos show aftermath from Iran’s waves of retaliatory strikes’, Reuters, 30 March 2026.
• 3
  L. Korte, ‘Here’s what’s going on at US bases in Middle East amid Iran attacks’, Stars and Stripes, 1 March 2026; ‘Drones strike US base in Iraq, Doha explosions, as Iran hits region in war’, Al Jazeera, 5 March 2026; ‘Hundreds of drones target Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE amid Iran war’, Al Jazeera, 4 March 2026.
• 4
  P. Hempel et al, ‘Iran Update Special Report, April 8, 2026’, Institute for the Study of War, 8 April 2026.