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Geopolitics: $2 Trillion in Weapons. Zero Shots Fired Back.
The GCC bought more arms than most nations can dream of. When Iran finally attacked them directly, they watched their own cities burn and did nothing. Here is why.
In Part 1 of this series, I wrote about how the Arab world holds more wealth than nearly any bloc on earth, yet has been politically and militarily paralyzed when it matters. That piece was about Gaza, about the silence of 22 nations while Palestinians were buried under rubble. People read it and asked versions of the same question: fine, but surely the Gulf states have armies? Surely they have weapons? Can they not at least defend themselves?
The answer, it turns out, is stranger than the question.
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader and striking nuclear facilities across the country. Iran’s response was immediate. Within 24 hours, every member of the Gulf Cooperation Council was under fire. A researcher at Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Center described it as their “long-standing nightmare scenario,” and for the first time in history, all six GCC states had been targeted by a single actor within 24 hours. Airports burned. Hotels in Dubai were hit…
