Gulf States in May 2026: the most important developments in security
In May 2026 security in the Gulf States was dominated by the drone strike near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates on 17 May. UAE air defences engaged three drones entering from the western border and intercepted two; the third struck a power generator outside the plant, starting a fire. There were no injuries and, according to the UAE nuclear regulator, no radioactive leak. On 19 May the UAE said the drones came from Iraq and urged Iraq to prevent attacks from its territory. The UN Security Council met on nuclear safety and condemned the attack, and Egypt condemned it too.
Earlier in the month Iran and the UAE traded blows. On 4 May the UAE said it intercepted 15 missiles and 4 drones, while an oil facility was hit and a major fire started; a drone also struck an ADNOC tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied attacking the UAE. Further missile and drone attacks were reported on 6, 8 and 10 May, with three people injured on 8 May, and Kuwait reported attacks on several days. Ships were hit off Qatar on 10 May and off Oman on 14 May. On 12 May the Wall Street Journal reported that the UAE had secretly struck Iran's Lavan Island oil refinery in April, and on 30 May it reported dozens of UAE airstrikes on Iran; the UAE said all its actions were defensive. A US envoy confirmed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air defence systems and personnel to the UAE.
The fight over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continued. President Trump paused the US naval operation guiding ships through the strait on 6 May, and the US and Iran exchanged fire on 8 May despite the ceasefire, with the US disabling three Iranian oil tankers. The US struck Iranian missile sites on 26 May. Iran published maps of a strait area controlled by its Revolutionary Guards. France sent an aircraft carrier group to the region, Europe launched an initiative to secure the strait.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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