Tag

#Gulf states

Incidents involving Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman), including arms deals, military cooperation, and the role of Gulf monarchies in regional conflicts affecting civilian populations.

3 incidents

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Trump Rejects Iran Ceasefire Proposal, Plans 'Very Major Attack,' Cancels at Last Minute (May 2026)

Trump rejected Iran's peace proposal, called the ceasefire 'on massive life support,' and had a 'very major attack' planned before Gulf allies talked him out of it hours before execution. Congress was not consulted. Vance publicly declared the US 'locked and loaded.' The episode reveals war-making conducted entirely at presidential whim, with no legal or democratic check.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Global Energy and Food Security Catastrophe

The Iran war triggered closure of the world's most critical energy chokepoint, causing the largest supply disruption since the 1970s. Iran closed and mined the strait. Despite a nominal ceasefire, the US and Iran exchanged fire in the strait on May 7, 2026: after Iranian attacks on three US destroyers, the US struck what CENTCOM called military sites at Qeshm and Bandar Abbas, while Iran said civilian areas were hit (unverified); a cargo vessel was hit, killing one sailor. Copernicus satellite imagery showed a large oil slick (71 sq km) near Kharg Island; its source is disputed and it has not been attributed to US strikes. Iran declared the ceasefire violated; the strait remains effectively closed.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

America First Arms Transfer Strategy: Human Rights Safeguards Removed From Weapons Exports

An executive order removed human-rights weighting from US executive arms transfer policy, replacing decades of bipartisan policy with a commerce-first approach. The subsequent emergency bypass of congressional review for $23+ billion in Gulf arms sales demonstrated the immediate consequences of removing these guardrails.