Gulf Countries Brace for Possible Renewed US War With Iran as Talks Continue

Gulf Arab countries were bracing on November 3, 2026, for the possibility that the United States could resume its war with Iran within days, according to The New York Times. The same report says Gulf states are working as mediators to prevent that outcome.

The war has now lasted eight months. Earlier in the conflict, Iran launched strikes against American military sites in Gulf nations, and the United States struck Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, according to The New York Times.

Diplomacy has continued alongside the threats. Iranian negotiators and Qatari mediators held a third day of talks in Doha on November 1 aimed at ending the war, according to Reuters. Qatar, a Gulf state, has been passing messages between the two sides. Contacts between Iran and the United States were still going on as of November 2, after several days of those Doha discussions, according to Reuters. Earlier, on October 31, Qatari mediators proposed a seven-day plan to build trust between Washington and Tehran, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump has moved between threats of further strikes on Iran and openness to diplomacy, as CNN reported at the end of October. He has said he must decide whether to make a deal with Iran or to "annihilate" it, according to The New York Times. On November 2, he predicted that the war with Iran is going to end soon, according to CBS News.

Regional governments have also weighed in. The United Arab Emirates said it hopes a diplomatic breakthrough in the Qatar-led mediation is possible, in order to avert a new round of confrontation between Washington and Tehran, according to WPXI. Iran's foreign minister said on November 3 that talks with Saudi Arabia were ongoing, according to Reuters.

Tensions have also surfaced in public messaging. Arab News reported that Iran unveiled a large billboard containing a threat against Trump's life.