West Asia News and Discussions

[A_Gupta]

^^^^ We are told: “ IRIS Dena, an Iranian Moudge-class frigate, is designed with anti-ship missiles. While it typically carries such weapons for patrols, it did not carry these missiles to the MILAN 2026 exercise in Visakhapatnam, India, because the exercise protocol prohibited participating ships from carrying ammunition.”

[Vayutuvan]

It should be, and is, easy to verify.

[uddu]

^^^^ We are told: “ IRIS Dena, an Iranian Moudge-class frigate, is designed with anti-ship missiles. While it typically carries such weapons for patrols, it did not carry these missiles to the MILAN 2026 exercise in Visakhapatnam, India, because the exercise protocol prohibited participating ships from carrying ammunition.”

Doubt this. Surface firing is there. It could be gun firing. The other ones mentioned like Anti Submarine etc could be simulated attacks which may not require weapon firing.
https://www.ifrmilan26.com/custom/milan-sea-phase
The MILAN Sea Phase held from 21 to 25 February 2026 was the dynamic and operationally significant segment of MILAN 26. Conducted in the Bay of Bengal, off Visakhapatnam, this phase involves maritime operations, formation manoeuvres and various aspects of naval warfare, aimed at strengthening interoperability among participating navies. Key activities included Surface Firings, Anti Air & Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercises, Cross Deck Helicopter Operations and Aircraft Carrier Operations. This Sea Phase of MILAN 26 aimed to build professionalism, enhance mutual trust and create collective capability to uphold maritime safety and security.

[uddu]

I don't think we realise what a potential threat 3 Iranian warships (not just the IRIS Dena) were:

They were sitting astride a major shipping lane (from the Mallaca strait to the middle East) where they could interdict merchant shipping - US supply ships.
The Dena has long range anti ship missiles.
The Lavan was a landing ship modified to carry long range drones. (imagine a strike on Diego Garcia knocking out a bunch of B-52s).
They would presumably get targeting info from Chinese satellites.
The Lavan is now interred in Kochi and the Bhisher in Sri Lanka.

The Bhusher was a supply ship possibly for the Dena and Lavan.
What were three ships (a large part of Iran's active surface fleet) doing so far from home ? Was IFR India an excuse to get them close to a major
shipping line and Diego Garcia ?
The Dena was their most modern ship, I doubt it was used for training.

Very much possible. The Iranian's must have tried to do the hunt for American ships or target U.S interests and somehow came to know about the sub which they could not track (Russian's or Chinese sharing info?) and worried sought refuge in Sri Lanka. The Initial public knowledge was that of a single warship around Sri Lanka that was sunk and now more and more Iranian Warships are seeking refuge from the same area.
There is an animation for visualization.
US Navy & Submarine Destroyed Iran's Fleet | Explained

[A_Gupta]

^^^ Live firing in such exercises is likely done with dummy ammunition. (Inert/Training Rounds: Used to simulate the weight and handling of live ammunition without the explosive risk.)

[Mukesh.Kumar]

It's started up again in Dubai. Marina rocked by explosion with direct hit on residential tower.

[A_Gupta]

Catherine Rampell in The Bulwark:

Qatar, which supplies about 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas, halted LNG production after a drone attack. Production there will take weeks to restart.

As a result, downstream firms that require LNG to operate are closing shop, too. For example, the Gulf region is responsible for nearly a tenth of the global aluminum supply. Already this week, multiple major aluminum smelters had to initiate shutdowns; one company says it may take up to a year to restart production.

Production of methanol and other chemicals has also been disrupted. Same with fertilizers used to grow the world’s food supply: Roughly 35 percent of global exports of urea (the most common nitrogen fertilizer) and 45 percent of global exports of sulfur (used to produce phosphate fertilizers) traversed the Strait of Hormuz. Fertilizer prices are already spiking, and American farmers are freaking out. Consumers may see “higher prices for bread within six to 10 weeks, eggs within a few months and pork and broiler chicken within six months,” according to an estimate from food-system expert Raj Patel.

[Cyrano]

I don't think we realise what a potential threat 3 Iranian warships (not just the IRIS Dena) were:
...

Good to see you back Deans ji.

[g.sarkar]

https://www.rediff.com/news/column/asif ... 260304.htm
Is The Dubai Dream Over?
ASIF ULLAH KHAN, March 04, 2026
For two decades, Dubai has sold more than real estate. It has sold certainty.
In a region synonymous with volatility, Dubai positioned itself as the exception -- a polished, hyper-efficient city-state where global capital could land, multiply, and sleep soundly. Low taxes. Light regulation. Heavy ambition. Safety as a brand.
Last weekend, that brand flickered.
Missiles and drones launched by Iran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes streaked across Gulf skies. The UAE intercepted projectiles, but debris fell in parts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Authorities reported injuries after a fire at Palm Jumeirah, the man-made island that symbolises Dubai's luxury excess.
Flames were seen near the five-star Fairmont The Palm. Debris from an intercepted drone caused a minor fire on the facade of Burj Al Arab -- perhaps the most recognisable building in the country.
The physical damage was limited. The psychological impact was not.
Dubai's rise has been powered by a simple proposition: Geopolitical neutrality plus commercial aggression equals prosperity.
It became a magnet for London bankers and American financiers seeking lower taxes. Russian and Ukrainian expatriates fleeing war poured in.
Entrepreneurs, crypto investors, gold traders, and family offices followed. Property prices have surged roughly 75 percent since 2020.
Towers sold out before ground was broken. Off-plan flipping became dinner conversation.
Dubai's skyline came to represent insulation -- from sanctions, from instability, from regional tremors.
That insulation now looks thinner.
The strikes did not decimate Dubai. But they pierced an assumption that underpinned its valuation: That it could remain commercially central while geopolitically peripheral.
....
Gautam

[S_Madhukar]

Dubai will mitigate this with a bumper sale in Christmas … Real estate, shopping all of it…lots of people from EMEA want their piece of action in the sun and the relative freedom it provides.
Sweet deals for influencers and celebrities. Singapore is an alternative but it is too humid and doesn’t have as much space to grow IMO.
Now if only we had 1 city clean and posh like it … or may be best to keep the glitterati away as they can cause their own issues.

[A_Gupta]

Will the UAE continue to allow a US military presence?

[rkirankr]

Dubai will mitigate this with a bumper sale in Christmas … Real estate, shopping all of it…lots of people from EMEA want their piece of action in the sun and the relative freedom it provides.
Sweet deals for influencers and celebrities. Singapore is an alternative but it is too humid and doesn’t have as much space to grow IMO.
Now if only we had 1 city clean and posh like it … or may be best to keep the glitterati away as they can cause their own issues.

We have some clean cities like Indore, Mysore and in NE. May be standards need to be improved. Howver we do not want gora elite shitties coming here.

[Luxtor]

We also don't realize what a threat it always has been for U.S. ships and submarines roaming the Indian Ocean freely and the U.S. base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, just a short stone throw away from the Indian coast. Also remember the 1971 Bungledeshi liberation war and what the U.S. navy was up to at that time?

[uddu]

Iranian Ballistic Missile with Cluster Munition – Why This Missile Is So Lethal?

[Mukesh.Kumar]

Things just went up by a notch. I don't know if this was intentional a misguided missile or debris bur reports from Bahrain indicate that a desalination plant was hit.

More than power its these decision plants with their captive power generation seeps that make the Middle East livable. Major damage to these will trigger an immediate refuge crisis.


Desalination plant hit- Independent, UK

[Deans]

A lot of the narrative around the sinking of the Iranian warship Dena, has focussed on it being an embarrassment to India, or at the least, a cold blooded attack on a defenceless ship. My view is that three Iranian ships embarked on a high risk gamble to attack US ships and failed. I elaborate on this in my latest blog post.

https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/2026/03/si ... amble.html

[Lisa]

^ How stupid was this Iranian captain, he went out to sea whilst American SSN's were hunting for him!

Darwinian Award. His sailors all died needlessly.

Wow! Darwinian Award indeed!

US warned IRIS Dena before torpedo strike, Iranian commander didn't allow crew to leave

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/wor ... 266828.cms

[chanakyaa]

The above as reported is from Eye-ran International, which is owned/operated by a Saudi-British businessman. The network has often been accused by Eye-ranian authorities of being funded by Smoothie Barbaria.

[uddu]

UAE Denies Strike On Key Iran Water Plant But Gulf Says Enough As IRGC Missiles, Drones Breathe Fire
UAE Denies Strike On Key Iran Water Plant But Gulf Says Enough As IRGC Missiles, Drones Breathe Fire

A United Arab Emirates senior official on Sunday denied that the country was involved in a strike against an Iranian desalination facility. The United Arab Emirates was first said to have struck an Iranian desalination facility on Sunday, in what would have been its first retaliatory attack against Iranian drone and missile fire as part of Israel and the US's war on the Islamic regime. Watch.

[rkirankr]

Seems unkil's helicopter base has been cooked by Iran

[A_Gupta]

We have a statement from India that Iran asked India for shelter for all three of its ships on February 28th and India granted it on March 1st, per this BBC story.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2e4yxj0pd3o

The Iranian warship Iris Dena was given permission by India to dock three days before it was torpedoed by a US submarine, India has said.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Iran had sought permission for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports on 28 February - the day the US and Israel began a war on Iran - and permission was granted by India on 1 March.

The ships' movements between 1 and 4 March are not clear and nor is why only one of them made it to India.

Assuming that this is an accurate report, it requires refactoring of most of the theories floated upstream of this post.

Added: the above is accurate. EAM Jaishankar made the statement in the Parliament, as reported by the Deccan Herald.

https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/story/ ... ar-3925157

——
So the Iranian leadership knew its ships were at risk and asked for asylum from India. India granted it. Either the captains of the ships disregarded orders or simply found themselves unable to find their way to an Indian port. The Dena was sunk, the Bushehr is in Sri Lanka and the Lavan is in Kochi.

—-
Added: is it plausible that Iran asked for asylum, and having obtained it, expected to find US assets in their vicinity, attack them and the scoot into Indian asylum? I am open to being persuaded.

[Vayutuvan]

> Added: is it plausible that Iran asked for asylum, and having obtained it, expected to find US assets in their vicinity, attack them and the scoot into Indian asylum? I am open to being persuaded.

"The first casualty of war is the truth" - Proverb

All belligerent parties lie through their teeth, in this case, the US, Israel, and Iran.

I have become extremely cynical of the West (majority Christian) and the Islamic world in the last forty years of living inthe US.

The following applies to most politicians in the West and the opposition in India.

Q: How do you know when a politician is lying?
A: When his/her lips are moving.

[bala]

संवाद # 306: This Kurdish politician has a message for India

Nilufer Koc a kurdish leader talks to Vaad Sanvaad. Her voice is important for Kurdistan, a portion of which is in Iran, Turkey, Syria, etc.

[A_Gupta]

My colleague with ties to Azerbaijan said that Iran’s military aircraft sought refuge in Azerbaijan when the attack in Iran started, and Azerbaijan granted it, no questions asked; so the Azeris are really angered by Iranian drone strikes. I have not been able to confirm the asylum claim in the news, however.

[uddu]

https://x.com/i/status/2031184133385556212
@MeghUpdates
BREAKING: Bahrain authorities have arrested 5 Pakistani nationals and 1 Bangladeshi national for filming, praising, and sharing videos of Iran's recent missile & drone strikes on Sitra — which injured 32 civilians — while expressing sympathy for Tehran's aggression and spreading unverified info.

[uddu]

French arrived to escort their tankers
France Sends Naval Force To Reopen The Strait Of Hormuz Amidst Oil Shortages

[uddu]

https://x.com/ShivAroor/status/2031035745193070819
@ShivAroor
THAAD radar, Jordan
THAAD radar, Al Ruwais, UAE
THAAD radar, Al Sader, UAE
THAAD radar, Pr Sultan Base, Saudi
Ballistic Missile EW Radar, Qatar

Iran’s strikes on giant U.S. missile defence radars in the region are sounding a massive alarm:

[rkirankr]

The very fact Iran still survives and fights back US , shows US defeat. Like typical trump, I think they went with "wham bam and damn them" approach. They did not have a plan B it seems.

[Manish_P]

My colleague with ties to Azerbaijan said that Iran’s military aircraft sought refuge in Azerbaijan when the attack in Iran started, and Azerbaijan granted it, no questions asked; so the Azeris are really angered by Iranian drone strikes. I have not been able to confirm the asylum claim in the news, however.

Both Iran and Azerbaijan are majority shia and anyway it will be Ummah against the infidels

Iraq had flown their airforce aircraft to Iran for safe keeping during the gulf war.

[uddu]

Iran War: Mayhem In Bahrain, IRGC's Missiles Ravage Manama, Oil Plant Burns, Shocking Scenes
Iran War: Mayhem In Bahrain, IRGC's Missiles Ravage Manama, Oil Plant Burns, Shocking Scenes

Bahraini authorities announced that a 29-year-old woman was killed and eight others were wounded following an Iranian attack on a residential building in the Bahraini capital Manama. Bahrain TV video showed debris in streets of the targeted area. Bahraini firefighters, paramedics and police were also deployed to the scene. Watch the video to know more details.

[uddu]

Already will be deployed and monitoring the situation. Now it becomes official and with an objective to escort ships to India.
India Plans Naval Escorts In Strait Of Hormuz As US-Israel Iran Tensions Threaten Oil Supply
As tensions rise between the US Israel alliance and Iran, India is preparing contingency plans to protect its maritime interests in the Strait of Hormuz. With 36 Indian flagged ships currently operating in the region, authorities have activated enhanced safety protocols and may deploy Indian Navy escorts if required. Nearly one fifth of global crude oil passes through this critical corridor, making any disruption a major risk for India’s oil imports, freight costs, inflation and current account balance. Here is what India’s next move could mean for energy markets and regional security.

[g.sarkar]

https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/iran
Iran war exposes limits of Trump’s quick victory strategy
Abhinandan Mishra, March 10, 2026
By the second week of the United States war with -war-exposes-limits-of-trumps-quick-victory-strategy-175260/
Iran war exposes limits strategyIran, a striking gap has opened between battlefield reality and political rhetoric. President Donald Trump continues to insist that the campaign will end “very soon” and has suggested that the operation is already close to completion. Yet the war itself tells a more complicated story.
The uncertainty surrounding the war’s trajectory is also reflected in the president’s own shifting timeline.
When the conflict began, Trump suggested the campaign could conclude quickly, describing the operation as a short strike designed to cripple Iran’s military infrastructure and carry out a decapitation exercise.
Within days, however, the tone changed. Administration officials indicated that there were no fixed time limits on the operation and warned that the conflict could continue as long as necessary to achieve its objectives.
Now, as the war enters its second week, Trump has again returned to the language of a rapid end, saying the conflict will be over “very soon.”
Such oscillation in timelines is not merely rhetorical inconsistency. It reflects the difficulty of reconciling early expectations with battlefield reality.
Iran’s ability to continue launching missiles and threatening regional infrastructure has complicated the prospect of a quick military conclusion. At the same time, reports have emerged that Washington has quietly explored diplomatic channels through intermediaries to gauge the possibility of a ceasefire. Even if formal negotiations have not begun, the existence of such contacts suggests that political exit options are being examined alongside the ongoing military campaign.
The central fact is simple. Iran is still fighting.
Missiles and drones continue to be launched across the region. Gulf infrastructure remains under threat. Nearly two weeks into sustained air strikes, Iran’s retaliatory capability has not disappeared. In modern American air campaigns the first operational objective is to suppress the enemy’s ability to strike back. If that capability persists well into the second week, the conflict has already moved beyond the quick-strike timeline that was initially implied.
This makes the contrast with the rhetoric that preceded the war even more striking.
In the weeks before the conflict began, Washington signaled overwhelming military readiness.
Beginning in late January the United States launched what officials described as the largest military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, deploying multiple carrier strike groups, stealth aircraft and large numbers of fighter jets across bases in Israel, Jordan and the Gulf.
The buildup included two aircraft carrier groups led by the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, along with F-22 and F-35 fighter deployments and extensive tanker aircraft to sustain long-range strike operations.
The message was unmistakable. Washington intended to demonstrate overwhelming military power and signal that Iran could be defeated quickly if war broke out.
......
Gautam

[A_Gupta]

Lindsey Graham threatens Saudi Arabia if they do not join war on Iran
US senator and close Trump ally said there should be 'consequences' for Gulf states that do not join a war they opposed

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/lind ... n-war-iran

US Senator Lindsey Graham lambasted Saudi Arabia on Monday for not attacking Iran and threatened “consequences” against other Gulf countries if they do not join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which the kingdom has opposed from the outset.

“It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has terrorized the region and killed 7 Americans,” Graham wrote on X.

“Should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?” he added.

Graham’s post effectively confirms what a US official told Middle East Eye previously: that Riyadh has prevented the US from accessing its bases for offensive operations.

[A_Gupta]

UAE tycoon rules out Abu Dhabi joining Iran war in scathing attack on US
Khalaf al-Habtoor says that while Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham may 'risk their country for Israel's interests', the Emiratis would not do the same

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae- ... -attack-us

In a scathing statement on X, Khalaf al-Habtoor, a prominent Emirati billionaire, has ruled out the UAE getting involved in the war on Iran, and accused the US of putting Israel’s interests over its own.

Habtoor noted that US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had in recent days called on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to join the US and Israel in its war on Iran. A few hours after it was posted, his statement appeared to have been removed.

[A_Gupta]

Habtoor is not a government official, but the Dubai-based billionaire is close to ruling circles. Public expression in the UAE, particularly at this level, is tightly controlled by the government.

“I say to him clearly: We know full well why we are under attack, and we also know who dragged the entire region into this dangerous escalation without consulting those he calls his ‘allies’ in the region,” he wrote.

…

Habtoor said that the UAE did not deny Iran’s threat to the region, adding that it does not trust Tehran.

“But this is a dirty game in which several powers clash at the expense of our region, with no honor in it and no transparency,” he said, calling out Iran, Israel and the US for prioritising their own interests over others in the region.

“And for this reason, we say it clearly: We will not enter this war to serve the interests of others, nor will we sacrifice our sons in a conflict that could have been avoided through diplomacy and political solutions.”

He said that the UAE does not treat the lives of “our sons” as collateral damage, “as some do”.

[A_Gupta]

“If President Donald Trump and Senator Graham are prepared to risk their country and the lives of Americans for Israel's interests, that is their choice,” he said. “As for us, we will not do the same.”

…

Habtoor noted that Graham, in an interview with Fox News, said that Arab countries benefit from US protection.

“And I say to him: We do not need your protection. All we want from you is to keep your hands off us,” the tycoon said.

He added that the US selling weapons to the UAE was not a favour nor charity, and that Abu Dhabi invested billions in its security.

He also referenced another portion of Graham’s remarks to Fox News, in which he spoke about the US’s oil interests.

“Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We’re going to have a partnership with 31 percent of the known reserves. This is China’s nightmare. This is a good investment,” Graham told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.

Habtoor responded: “Only then does the picture become clear. And only then do we understand why they want this war.”

The billionaire concluded by stating that anyone listening to Graham’s remarks “might think you’re a member of the Israeli Knesset”.

“You defend Israel's interests more than you defend the interests of the American people themselves,” he said.

“We will not accept being forced down the path of war, nor will we accept being fuel for others' battles.”

Habtoor last week accused Trump of dragging the Gulf partners into “danger” by unleashing a war on Iran that they did not want and betraying the American people by putting war at the “top of your priorities”.

[Cyrano]

You can change settings to get the english auto dubbed version

[uddu]

DETAILS: US deploys laser tech against Iranian drones

[Cain Marko]

https://x.com/ShivAroor/status/2031035745193070819
@ShivAroor
THAAD radar, Jordan
THAAD radar, Al Ruwais, UAE
THAAD radar, Al Sader, UAE
THAAD radar, Pr Sultan Base, Saudi
Ballistic Missile EW Radar, Qatar

Iran’s strikes on giant U.S. missile defence radars in the region are sounding a massive alarm:

All that for a drop of blood as Thanos pointed out.

Even if these reports are accurate. The Iranian ability to lob missiles has been degraded to a point that the attached have reduced by 90%. Uae and Saudi report 95% success rate in interceptions. Some will get thru but so far it's been ridiculously lop sided despite the reporters excitement.

[SRajesh]

US senator asking KSA to join war.
UAE and other GCC countries dragging ntheir feet.
Billions already spent of this war.
Hmm Who will foot the bill.
Gulf war following Kuwait invasion was Green on Green and the West made the Gulf countries pay the Moolah with interest.
Wonder what OM will do this time around. How will he make them foot the bill?