Saudi Arabia has granted U.S. forces access to King Fahd Air Base in Taif — a western Saudi facility that hasn’t been used for American combat operations since the Gulf War era — as Iran’s missile and drone attacks push Gulf states toward a deeper alignment with Washington.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the development. The move is one of several signs that Iran’s aggressive campaign has backfired, accelerating a regional realignment that Tehran’s own actions helped create.
King Fahd Air Base sits deep inside Saudi territory, farther inland than U.S. military hubs in Qatar and the UAE. That positioning gives American forces greater strategic depth and longer warning times against Iranian missile and drone threats — a meaningful advantage as Iran’s attacks have expanded beyond traditional flashpoints.
“Iran has chosen dangerous brinkmanship over serious diplomatic solutions,” the Saudi government said in a statement on its posture toward the regime. “This harms every stakeholder involved but none more than Iran itself.”
Since late February, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones across the Gulf, hitting countries that had spent years trying to stay out of the crosshairs. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman — all struck. President Trump said Thursday the scope of the attacks stunned even U.S. officials.
“They start shooting in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. “And they were. Everybody was shocked, including us. You know why? Because they’re sick. And they had a plan to take over the Middle East.”
Operation Epic Fury launched February 28. Iran retaliated almost immediately against U.S. forces and regional partners, striking bases and energy infrastructure across the Gulf.
The response from Gulf capitals has been escalating ever since. The UAE severed diplomatic ties with Tehran and launched a crackdown on networks tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Qatar expelled Iranian military and security attachés following strikes on its energy infrastructure. Bahrain led a successful push at the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Iranian strikes on Gulf states.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait issued coordinated statements denouncing Iran’s actions and asserting their right to self-defense.
Qatar’s prime minister was in Washington on Thursday for talks focused on defense cooperation and critical infrastructure protection.
Still, Gulf states are not joining combat operations. They remain opposed to U.S. strikes on critical infrastructure inside Iran and continue pursuing diplomatic off-ramps, even as frustration with Tehran grows. Years of careful balancing — Saudi Arabia signed a normalization deal with Iran in 2023, and the UAE maintained limited commercial ties — provided no protection when Iran decided to start shooting.
Gulf officials told Fox News their governments are in line with the U.S. position that Iran’s missile program, uranium enrichment, and support for regional militant groups need to be “addressed and curtailed.”
