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Don't they know how many social media followers I have?
Speaking of which been some reporting today about how consistent the messaging is about how everything is fine and the monarchy are protecting everyone. Both for those influencers targeting western audiences and those targeting Russia etc.
I am sure Tice and co will be standing up for free speech though.
the kurds have entered the war
https://bsky.app/profile/alexjungle.bsky.social/post/3mgbaozc7tc2s
lol, And who's been selling them cheap weapons again?
I think this it just part of a long term plan to keep the general geographic region in constant conflict, a divided enemy is much more pliable than a united one. It's just basic maths.
We need the civdiv/gundi angle on this, but I seriously doubt either of them think the Kurds have a chance
Instability is also excellent for making money if you have a bunch of other peoples' cash and no morals.
Maybe arming the Kurds was done to mollify Erdogan?
Give them enough weapons to make them think they can achieve something with support from US air power. Let them attack then do not support them and then they get slaughtered by the Republican Guard.
One of Erdogan's problems goes away.
The Gulf states are rapidly running out of Patriot missiles to shoot down Iranian Shahed drones. They are a disproportionately expensive way to do it anyway. When they are gone, some of the major oil infrastructure is going to become very vulnerable. Iran has thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Shaheds yet to use.
There is one country in the world with huge experience in defeating them en-masse, effectively and cheaply who could help out. With domestically built interceptor drones, world beating ECM kit and a whole host of other tactics and equipment built on hard won experience. Which wouldn't just help the gulf states, but more effectively protect dispersed US embassies and bases in the region.
The trouble is Trump removed military support from them, said they had "no cards to play" and repeatedly humiliated and insulted their leader. I should imagine there is a fair bit of schadenfreude going on in Kiev right now.
I would say that UA still need every shred of capability they have right now to defend against the RU attacks. Knowledge dissemination would for sure help the gulf states, but it will take time to ramp up their own, similar capability. Also, I am not sure exactly how effective Twin Otters or AN-24s with miniguns on the side would be if there is not a defined corridor to operate within and a strictly enforced layered air defence.
I thought I heard a segment on the radio here last night about the supply issue forcing the variou Gulf states to prioritise the larger ballistic missiles, leaving themselves open to more impacts by the smaller, more lightly payloaded Shahed varients. A brutal arithmetic, but one that could easily mess up their oil infrastructure.
fascinating reas about Libya post regime change
A brutal arithmetic, but one that could easily mess up their oil infrastructure.
The storage facility at Fujairah where UAE's pipeline that bypasses The Straight of Hormuz terminates was hit by 'falling debris' from a downed drone yesterday. It is still on fire a day later.
Indeed it seems that 'cheap' drones vs £millions missiles is just unsustainable.
I note that Trump has commented that they may ask Ukraine for assistance, and that Zelensky replied that they can only help if it does not reduce their battlefield capability and capacity. Seems that the power in that relationship may start to change over the next few weeks...
Indeed it seems that 'cheap' drones vs £millions missiles is just unsustainable.
AIUI Shahid drones go at about 185mph and presumably don’t take masses of evasive action. I’d have therefore thought they’d be well within the envelope for light AA guns with proximity fuzed ammunition (which dealt effectively with V1s and Kamikazes), and shells are a lot, lot cheaper than missiles.
I read a news article the other day about Zelenski offering to send anti-drone warfare experts to the region - on the understand there would be a ceasefire agreement first.
I note that Trump has commented that they may ask Ukraine for assistance
I wonder if he asked Putin for assistance first?
The USAs military dominance may have a big weakness in that its just so expensive and resource heavy. Having such weapons during the cold war when it was mainly about having a few to show off and be a deterrent is lots different to having them .. using them .. then having to replace them.
Ukraine smashed the myth of Russia`s military prowess - maybe we will see the cracks in the USAs before this is over.
Cheap, easy to make, portable drones have totally transformed warfare like the bow and arrow did.
I would say that UA still need every shred of capability they have right now to defend against the RU attacks.
Ukraine now is not the Ukraine of 4 years ago. They have massively ramped up production and there is no longer any shortage of drones. The days of crowd funding for consumer DJI drones are long gone. In fact, they have excess production capacity and are actively exporting drones and other military technology right now. They really are the recognised world leaders in this. They have partner drone production facilities in UK, Germany, Spain, Norway, France, Latvia and Portugal with others coming on line all the time.
European countries have woken up to this seismic change in how warfare is conducted and are benefiting from this collaboration. The US isn't. Trump prefers battleships ffs!
I am not sure exactly how effective Twin Otters or AN-24s with miniguns on the side would be
Ukraine is pragmatic enough to utilise any means at their disposal, as part of a layered defence, from low to high tech. All have their place. Taking one or two components of that layering system out of context to suggest Ukraine's expertise wouldn't be transferable to the Gulf seems a bit disingenuous if I'm honest.
In the same way that an old palm oil container stuff with AMFO did in AFG... That shift is driven by an opponents use of asymetric tactics in a conflict. We've already seen how even that use has shifted in UKR from FPV racing drones with RPG warheads on to Shahed and the countermeasures that each requires (5Ghz jamming -> fibre optics for example).
UKR pioneered cheap, but "modern" militaries (or at least their suppliers) don't want cheap, they want expensive. They, or at least the people that order the kit, want AI driven flight and target definition, carbon fibre, stealth, you name it and all that takes time (and money) to develop. The result may end up being a solution that is less effective than an FPV drone with an RPG strapped to it, costs 100 times more and comes into play two years too late to be useful, or may even be seen as too expensive to be used in a situation that is not critical enough, until it becomes critical enough and is found not to work properly.
UKR is doing it right, but that's because the evolution and learning they are going through is being paid for in blood.
@blokeuptheroad Crossed over posts there.
My comment on the Twin Otter/AN-24 was about UAE et al using them. That tactic works in UKR (and works well) but may not be a good fit for the more open Gulf area
Add the UK as a partner for drone production. They have a site in Suffolk now, which is good.
I notice on Flight Tracker there are a large number of military Grobs in the air at the moment over the UK. Could those be used in anti-drone operations?
BP diesel has gone up £1 per litre today.
the kurds have entered the war
lol, And who's been selling them cheap weapons again?
I think this it just part of a long term plan to keep the general geographic region in constant conflict, a divided enemy is much more pliable than a united one. It's just basic maths.
No Kurdish forces involved yet.
It's a US consideration and a small number of media outlets ran it as fact.
Chances are that it'd just add to the chaos and cause more issues than it solves, assuming they'd trust the US after being let down in Iraq and Syria
BP diesel has gone up £1 per litre today
Having googled that, I'm seeing rises around 5p a litre not £1 a litre. I mean, I'm expecting prices to rise sharply but I can't find where you've got that from. You have a link/screen shot if it's X?
Edit, highest reference is on Forecourt Trader at 20p a litre.
BP diesel has gone up £1 per litre today.
US gasoline passed the $3 average today.
This will be additional pressure on the mid-terms
The US has started planning for this to last until September, mid-terms in November 🤔
My local BP is 143.9 today
Maybe it’s a Trump thing ie rating is war awesomeness 15/10
Edit, highest reference is on Forecourt Trader at 20p a litre.
Checked online. Nearest BP garage and my usual Shell garage up 7p today.
I rang the garage to query it
The manager confirmed.
I thought a £1 difference could have been a mistake!
I just was topping up and was not concentrating and like you Googled it and could not find it online.
I paid £1 less on A9 yesterday at another BP garage.
Ukrainian military drone operators are already at work in sub-Saharan Africa, tying up Russian mercenaries and uniformed military.
How can the US and the Gulf States combat the thousands of drones being used then, as it seems forces are running out of the tools to combat that? It seems Iran can really hurt the West by hitting fuel facilities and blocking the Straits of Hormuz? How long can that continue?
How can the US and the Gulf States combat the thousands of drones being used then, as it seems forces are running out of the tools to combat that? It seems Iran can really hurt the West by hitting fuel facilities and blocking the Straits of Hormuz? How long can that continue?
And to think Trump had the opportunity to obtain Ukrainian drone tech including their much cheaper interceptor drones, but turned the deal down so he didn't have to tell his Russian chums to pack up and go home.
How can the US and the Gulf States combat the thousands of drones being used then, as it seems forces are running out of the tools to combat that? It seems Iran can really hurt the West by hitting fuel facilities and blocking the Straits of Hormuz? How long can that continue?
Its easy enough to blow up missile launchers, even mobile ones, but a drone can be hidden in a shed and launched from the back of a pickup truck, No idea what Irans reserves of them might be, but Im guessing a lot!
Whats also very worrying is that Iran used an USV- sea drone to blow a hole in a tanker last night, their Navy ships and subs might be all sunk (or not who knows with submarines) but USVs are small cheap and hard to find how many of these they have - could affect global shipping massively and cause inflation for all of us
https://bsky.app/profile/urikikaski.bsky.social/post/3mgcvof427k2u
And Im not sure how the Americans can guarantee the the straight of Hormuz remains open
Because theres already a backlog of oil tankers there, citcial fertilizer shipments blocked off at the start of spring, its going to start hitting everyones pockets nad thats very worrying because the UK government & others will likely have to move to protect shipping, that makes ships vulnerable
Iran knows that sinking a US warship could force trump to back off, but Im sure that Iran will happily sink any warship
That coastline is huge, it wont just take air or sea power to make it safe, It would surely need 'boots on the ground' Irans coast is 2,500km long, even if the straights are only 150km
So we're f##ked basically.
That coastline is huge, it wont just take air or sea power to make it safe, It would surely need 'boots on the ground' Irans coast is 2,500km long, even if the straights are only 150km
And extremely rugged terrain pretty much the entire length of the gulf coastline.
start stockpiling petrol like theres no tomorrow
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3mgd6nwipvs2o
Trump & Hegseth are a joke https://bsky.app/profile/anneapplebaum.bsky.social/post/3mgcwqebtu22e 
It'a almost as though the American government hasn't fully thought this through. But that can't be so can it?
start stockpiling petrol like theres no tomorrow
I wonder if, one of these days, an international shock like this will prove to be the tipping point that shoves everyone over to EVs
So we're f##ked basically.
With the orange ars*h*le in charge, it feels that way.
Surely now ships will be choosing to head down and round Africa? I know it adds weeks, but why wait when it is all kicking off and will not be ending any time soon.
Iran knows that sinking a US warship could force trump to back off, but Im sure that Iran will happily sink any warship
You think trump would back off if they sank a ship with probably a significant loss of US lives and PR embarrassment? Like a bear will back off if you poke it with a stick?
Its not really the Red Sea that the problem - its the next corner roundSurely now ships will be choosing to head down and round Africa? I know it adds weeks, but why wait when it is all kicking off and will not be ending any time soon.
I've never felt much towards politics in my life, as growing up in 80's Belfast made me feel a certain way towards them. It's a bit like that internal anger and rage has returned, seeing what the US Government is doing to the world.
There is a small degree of comfort in the majority of allies seeing them for what they have become.
It seems Iran can really hurt the West by hitting fuel facilities and blocking the Straits of Hormuz?
Apparently not.much of the oil that goes through the straights is destined for Europe and mostly goes to Asia.
Flying mopeds.
I laughed.
“ill-thought-out war, with unclear aims and an uncertain chance of success for any of the myriad of aims stated so far”
Sounds exactly like Brexit to me……
I wonder if, one of these days, an international shock like this will prove to be the tipping point that shoves everyone over to EVs
How would that work?
I wonder if, one of these days, an international shock like this will prove to be the tipping point that shoves everyone over to EVs
I don't know, but a) decarbonisation is a national security issue and this is exactly why, and b) pandemic-style pop-up cycle lanes would probably do a lot to help with cost of living issues resulting from an oil shock, but won't happen due to gammonly screaming on Facebook.
if petrol hits £2/L+ for a sustained period of time you might see more people seeing electric as a cheaper option - of course that does rather depend on (a) the government not having to move mileage taxes significantly up on EVs to compensate for people buring less dutied fued, and (b) the cost of electricity not being impaced by the same issue - which currently is probably the case as everything is tied to gas price.I wonder if, one of these days, an international shock like this will prove to be the tipping point that shoves everyone over to EVs
How would that work?
Considering that Iran are Twelver Shia and believe that they need the end of times to happen so the 12th iman can return and save them all, and that they were developing nuclear weapons, and considering what's currently happening in this war, it is probably best that it happens now rather than later when the consequences could have been a lot worse.
Also considering that everything that happens is by the will of Allah, and believers (such as them) are "encouraged to trust in Allah's wisdom and plan, knowing that even challenging situations are part of a divine decree, fostering patience and acceptance", then they have nothing to complain about and should accept any ass-whipping that occurs.
I keep wondering if you keep your human age when you are martyred and go to receive your perpetual pool of 72 virgins in paradise, because if that is so then Ali the Mouse has left it a bit late I would have thought. 72 virgins is also the minimum reward, so would someone in that position actually receive more? (ok, 72 virgins is a Sunni belief, so maybe not applicable here...)
It an indirect effect though - if you take out the straights and Asia can't get its fuel from the usual place the price of the oil Europe usually buys goes up and Europe and Asia are squabbling over the same stock.It seems Iran can really hurt the West by hitting fuel facilities and blocking the Straits of Hormuz?
Apparently not.much of the oil that goes through the straights is destined for Europe and mostly goes to Asia.
How would that work?
Oil price shock from some conflict or other disaster, then petrol prices go up high enough, for long enough, that a significant proportion of the EV-sceptical go "sod paying this much for fuel, i'm getting an electric car".
Just an idle thought really. But it could be a significant push factor anyway.
Personally I get through less than a tank of fuel per month so I won't be rushing to the petrol station. But people who do 25k miles a year could start considering their situation a bit.
https://bsky.app/profile/tendar.bsky.social/post/3mgd7wdr3pk25
This statement is widely reported. It is quite the eye opener, especially as they can supposedly only make about 600/year.
the cost of electricity not being impaced by the same issue - which currently is probably the case as everything is tied to gas price.I wonder if, one of these days, an international shock like this will prove to be the tipping point that shoves everyone over to EVs
How would that work?
Don't worry - plenty of old coal fired power plants ready to be fired up. No nuclear ones, though. 🙁
Apparently Trump says “Spain is a loser”.
😬
Fuel in Sweden, diesel at least, has gone from 16.54SEK to 19.something SEK.
Looks likes I am going to have to suck up that extra 20% at some point in the next 500km.
Apparently Ukraine holds the cards.
This must have hurt the WH, I hope they remember to say, "Thank you" to President Zelensky
We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against "shaheds" in the Middle East region. I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security. Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people. Glory to Ukraine! (TwitterX 1735hrs 5/3/2025)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr5llg0e9g9o
Fresh from War Dept sniping at his pension (again, on appeal) Senator Mark Kelly had this comment on the Iran war,
“I’m thinking, you could pick a random group of people off the street tonight here in Washington, D.C. — just a random group — and they could probably do a better job than our government is doing right now with this,” Kelly told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5768779-mark-kelly-donald-trump-administration-iran-efforts/
The Gulf States are still trading heavily with Russia. Would be great if the price of Ukraine's technical support was choking Russia's financial, tourism and trade flows from the Middle East. Even better if they can swap their expertise for the energy and supplies they need to beat back Russia.
Just catching up on Question Time and everyone seems to be unanimous in that Starmer has got this right in distancing himself (and us) from this.
Jimmy Dimly was on for the Tories saying we should be getting stuck in alongside the Americans, going along with Kemi Badanochs insane ramblings over the last few days.
Fiona Bruce asked for a show of hands in the audience for those who think we should be going along with Trump in attacking Iran. There was literally 2 or 3 people sheepishly rased their hands
Reform and the Tories have seriously failed to read the room on this. The vast majority of the population of this country don’t want us tagging along with the US and being dragged into another mindless crusade in the Middle East
I’ll rather aptly steal the song lyrics and appropriate them for my introduction to our a.i overlords, remember and sing along
….war…...what is it good for…huhhh….absolutely everything and we’ll line our bloodstained pockets with the profits “
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/03/05/palantirs-double-conflict-of-interest-in-the-war-against-iran/
A really good piece, as always, by Ian Dunt....
https://iandunt.substack.com/p/this-is-the-most-nihilistic-war-weve-43e
What’s happening today makes the Iraq war look like a masterpiece of honesty and the consistent application of strategy. It is a war that is so insane its own perpetrators seemingly do not know why they started it.
In the years to come, historians will look back on the origins of this dispute and there will be nothing there for them: no relevant context, no coherent thought process, no series of motivations, no matter how contorted, with which to explain it. No Versailles treaty. No hyperinflation. They will just find a black howling vortex of nothing.
Trump lifting restrictions on Russian oil for Modi, under cover of this not-a-war.
Reform and the Tories have seriously failed to read the room on this.
They probably read it, but couldn't bring themselves to agree to it publicly as everything has to be a disaster. The narrative overriding what the room is.
I think they read the Daily Express rather than listen to mood music in the country! She’s so obsessed with opposition to Starmer that she believes everything he says must be portrayed as bad, even if he said she should be the next PM, she’d probably stand up and say “that’s a sign of weak leadership, this Tory opposition will continue working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen”!
We can only hope that the public take a moment to think when they next place an X if they want to endorse that shit - every question time involves someone in the audience rationally pointing out we don’t want our politicians squabbling like petulant school kids we want them to work together to find actual solutions, it gets the biggest applause of the show. Political attention spans can’t event remember this to the end of the show.
Listening to Lammy on Radio4 on the way in.
Why can our UK politicians just not have an opinion on this war? He was dancing round every question. I wish that our government just told us what they think. Trump and MAGA will. There is no 'special relationship' any more.
At some point there will be enough world leaders who thing f*ck Trump and the US, and we need to walk away from them as best we can.
Considering that Iran are Twelver Shia and believe that they need the end of times to happen so the 12th iman can return and save them all, and that they were developing nuclear weapons, and considering what's currently happening in this war, it is probably best that it happens now rather than later when the consequences could have been a lot worse.
Also considering that everything that happens is by the will of Allah, and believers (such as them) are "encouraged to trust in Allah's wisdom and plan, knowing that even challenging situations are part of a divine decree, fostering patience and acceptance", then they have nothing to complain about and should accept any ass-whipping that occurs.
I keep wondering if you keep your human age when you are martyred and go to receive your perpetual pool of 72 virgins in paradise, because if that is so then Ali the Mouse has left it a bit late I would have thought. 72 virgins is also the minimum reward, so would someone in that position actually receive more? (ok, 72 virgins is a Sunni belief, so maybe not applicable here...)
And yet it's the Septics who have been using the bible to justify this war against Iran....
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric
Why can our UK politicians just not have an opinion on this war? He was dancing round every question. I wish that our government just told us what they think. Trump and MAGA will. There is no 'special relationship' any more.
At some point there will be enough world leaders who thing f*ck Trump and the US, and we need to walk away from them as best we can.
Ukraine.
I agree - the war is illegal, we don't support the US and Isreali action, it's implied in the government comments, just say it clearly.
Trump lifting restrictions on Russian oil for Modi, under cover of this not-a-war.
Given how fresh that restriction was and it being linked to preferential tariffs that have since been ripped up one would imagine that India never stopped buying Russian oil.
This has the whiff of yet more PR designed to sooth stock markets.
the war is illegal, we don't support the US and Isreali action, it's implied in the government comments, just say it clearly.
There was a senior Spanish government minister interviewed on channel 4 news last night and he was totally unambiguous. No wonder Trump is so pissed off with them, petulant toddler that he is. He said they basically told him to jog on when he requested using Spanish bases. He then went on to give his reasons... that everyone has flattered and appeased Trump, and gone along with him for long enough, through fear of Tariffs or whatever, but there comes a time when somebody has to stand up and say 'enough! Stop this madness!'. So they did.
He then went on to describe why Trump couldn't carry out his threat to cut off all trade with Spain as it is part of the EU so any punitive tariffs would have to apply to the whole EU. Obviously that doesn't apply to us because Brexit, the gift that keeps on giving
Reform and the Tories have seriously failed to read the room on this.
They probably read it, but couldn't bring themselves to agree to it publicly as everything has to be a disaster. The narrative overriding what the room is.
Which room is Badenoch trying to speak to? Voters? Party members? Donors - to stop them funding Reform? MPs? Is she succeeding?
Badenoch is the inverse Corbyn - with a government as underwater as this, how come she's not pummelling them in the polls?
Apparently Ukraine holds the cards.
I wonder how widely reported that is in the US
It's in a couple of individual state media outlets, the Pentagon hadn't officially commented the last time that I looked.
President Trump and MAGA-favourite Fox news showed a piece with military commentator Brett Velicovich, described by Fox as a "drone expert", with the somewhat disingenuous banners, "US Deploys High-Tech Arsenal" and "US Forces Use AI in Iran Operation"
The background video is Ukrainian showing the Wild Hornet's Sting interceptor drone at work over Ukraine on Shahed analogues. The Fox video is watchable within the KP link below
The Sting has downed more than 3000 Russian drones and is cheaper than a Shahed.
"The American broadcaster Fox News used footage of a Ukrainian interceptor drone while discussing alleged US “AI-powered superweapons” used in strikes on targets in Iran.
During the broadcast, host Jesse Watters and military commentator Brett Velicovich spoke about what they described as the superiority of American artificial intelligence technologies."
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71361
Simultaneous tone-deaf acts by the US included:
President Trump removed sanctions on Russian oil intended for India for one month https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71351
The United States joined Russia, China, and Niger on Thursday in opposing a resolution adopted by the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board denouncing attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as a threat to nuclear safety, diplomats said https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-opposes-iaea-board-resolution-condemning-attacks-ukraines-power-grid-2026-03-05/
The only thing that supprises me so far about this war is that we havent had a major terror attack in the USA as Iranian reprisal yet.
it's implied in the government comments, just say it clearly
While I'm no fan of politicians dodging questions, the reality is they're dealing with a psychopath in the whitehouse, who's surrounded by even bigger psychopaths who will unleash ridiculous unhinged carnage on their allies at the drop of a hat if they feel aggrieved. It's a diplomatic minefield. I imagine a direct statement of no support for the US action would likely result in 50%+ tariffs on the UK the next day
A couple of bits that I didn't get around to publishing yesterday. Life!
This tends to suggest that Iran's ballistic missile launchers are being destroyed as they're wheeled out.
The campaign against Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TELs) echoes western Special Forces Scud hunting in Iraq in 1991. The book Bravo Two Zero is possibly the best known account.
This will reduce strain on AD missile stocks
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on March 4 that the number of ballistic missiles Iran has fired regionally has decreased 86 percent since the start of the combined force’s campaign on February 28, with a 23 percent decrease in the past 24 hours. The combined force has designed its campaign to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities before the force depletes its interceptor stockpiles.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-4-2026/
Life!
According to Joshua Tallis, naval analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, escorts are more likely to start after more damage is done to Iran’s capabilities to attack ships. This “is not currently being factored into the market”.
US President Donald Trump signalled that the US navy was ready to offer security escorts for tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday evening – less than 24 hours after Navy officials told shipping industry representatives that there was “no chance” of escorts happening any time soon.
In a social media post, Trump announced that he had ordered the US Development Finance Corporation to provide, “at a very reasonable price, political risk insurance and guarantees for the Financial Security of ALL Maritime Trade”.
He added that “if necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible”. https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156505/US-signals-U-turn-on-naval-convoys-to-restart-Hormuz-transits
And
The prospect of US naval escorts and state-backed war risk insurance has been greeted across the shipping and insurance sectors with scepticism and confusion as traders await further details of US President Donald Trump’s plan to guarantee the free flow of energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156518/Trump%E2%80%99s-escort-announcement-met-with-scepticism-as-traffic-trickles-through-Strait-of-Hormuz
Life!
The Trump Organisation announced property deals across the Gulf states, including Dubai, UAE, in April 2025. It already had plans in Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Property supply was already ahead of population growth and war has weakened real estate investment there, particularly now that the US is planning for a months-long conflict
"Real estate investment typically relies on stability, visibility and sustained investor confidence, all of which tend to weaken during prolonged geopolitical uncertainty," said Ryan Lemand, co-founder and CEO of Neovision Wealth Management in Abu Dhabi. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uaes-property-sector-faces-reckoning-after-iran-strikes-2026-03-05/
it's implied in the government comments, just say it clearly
While I'm no fan of politicians dodging questions, the reality is they're dealing with a psychopath in the whitehouse, who's surrounded by even bigger psychopaths who will unleash ridiculous unhinged carnage on their allies at the drop of a hat if they feel aggrieved. It's a diplomatic minefield. I imagine a direct statement of no support for the US action would likely result in 50%+ tariffs on the UK the next day
I understand that view, but as Spain have very clearly pointed out, eventually a line gets crossed and you have to get on the right side of history. The US may be able to damage the UK, but not as much as an unchecked illegal war will damage the whole world
Trump couldn't carry out his threat to cut off all trade with Spain as it is part of the EU so any punitive tariffs would have to apply to the whole EU.
Imposing tariffs on your closest allies and then getting hufty with them when they won't support your illegal middle east war just shouts "joined-up thinking". But then so does doing property deals and then launching an illegal war in the same region.
I mean, to the casual observer, this seems to be the actions of a man suffering the late stages of brain disease...