Gulf States in January 2026: the most important developments in security
In the Gulf states in January 2026, the leading security story was the rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen. On 4 January Saudi-backed forces regained control of Yemen's Hadramout province from UAE-backed separatists. The leader of the UAE-backed separatists left Yemen ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia, and on 8 January the Saudi-led coalition said he had fled to the UAE. Yemen evacuated stranded tourists from a remote island after UAE troops pulled out. The UAE took part in the Gulf Shield drill in Saudi Arabia on 5 January, and on 20 January it denied allegations by a human rights group that it runs secret prisons in Yemen.
Tension between the United States and Iran shaped the rest of the month. On 14 January the US and the UK began withdrawing some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after warnings from Iran, and Qatar said the security of its citizens and residents was a top priority. A US aircraft carrier entered the Red Sea, another crossed the Malacca Strait bound for the Arabian Sea, and US Central Command announced an F-15 squadron's arrival in the Middle East and the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. On 27 January the UAE formally barred the use of its airspace for strikes against Iran, and Saudi Arabia's crown prince assured Iran that attacks would not be launched from Saudi territory. The Revolutionary Guard Navy said Iran decides security in the Strait of Hormuz, and one of its commanders called US aircraft carriers easy targets.
Other items included Kuwait and Bahrain strengthening security cooperation, Qatar hosting a joint tactical exercise of Gulf security agencies and opening the Doha International Maritime Defence Expo, and the US State Department approving a possible sale of Patriot air defence systems to Kuwait. A Kuwaiti court sentenced nine people to seven years each in a gambling and money laundering website case.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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