Since the beginning of the war, Iran has launched thousands of drones and missiles against the Arab Gulf states. Their business model, based on oil and gas exports, has been severely affected.
Unlike the early days of the war, Iran is no longer launching hundreds of missiles and drones daily against the Arab Gulf states - the intensity of the attacks has significantly decreased. However, they can be deadly, writes ARD.
On Thursday, authorities in the United Arab Emirates reported that two people had died from debris from a missile fired by Iran. The victims were migrant workers from India and Pakistan - like most of the 25 victims so far in the Gulf Arab states in the first month of the war.
"We here in the Gulf are not used to wars or rocket attacks," Ahmed Youssef from Qatar told German public media. However, he does not seem particularly worried: he feels safe and believes that the regional governments will make the right decisions.
The Emirates speak of economic terrorism
The governments of the Persian Gulf states are reacting with growing dissatisfaction to the ongoing attacks by Iran: Qatar has expelled Iranian diplomats, and representatives of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have already defined as economic terrorism Iran's threats to attack oil tankers and other ships in the Strait of Hormuz, through which not only 20 percent of the world's oil and gas shipments pass, but also 30 percent of the fertilizers for global agriculture.
Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that "Iran is trying to cause a heart attack in the world economy. "We must not allow Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, to determine the world market prices of food and gasoline," ARD quoted her as saying.
Will the Gulf states become more actively involved in the war?
Recently, more harsh statements have been made mainly by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which announced that they reserve the right to respond to Iranian attacks with all "necessary measures". There is much speculation as to whether this could also mean the active involvement of the Arab Gulf states in the war, ARD emphasizes.
Energy expert Bahar Halabi says that for now this is just rhetoric and that the Gulf states are primarily trying to defend themselves. "But given the Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure, which is vital for these countries, their strategic considerations could indeed change."
Recently, especially in American newspapers, information has been circulating that the rulers in Saudi Arabia are urging the Trump administration not to weaken the air strikes against Iran, so as not to make it look as if the leadership in Tehran is emerging victorious in this battle, which could ultimately embolden it, the German public media outlet points out.
Qatar is betting on a peaceful resolution to the conflict
The official statements of the Saudi leadership, however, sound significantly more restrained. And in Qatar, the foreign ministry continues to emphasize that this conflict needs to be ended by peaceful means. "Complete destruction is not an option. "No people and no country will disappear at the will of any political player," said Majid al-Ansari, a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Doha. Because one thing will not change even after the war - geography. "We will continue to live next to each other, we will be neighbors forever, and we must find ways to coexist peacefully."
For now, however, this is nothing more than rhetoric. A month after the war began, there is no sign that it is heading towards a quick end, writes ARD.