RIGHT SPEAK: The Mullahs’ Miscalculation: They Thought the Ummah Would Rally. It Recoiled

The Mullahs’ Miscalculation

They thought the Ummah would rally. It recoiled.

The Islamic Republic of Iran certainly had enough notice that it was headed to war, given the sheer magnitude of American military buildup — the largest in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which included the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Arabian Sea on January 26, while the USS Gerald R. Ford was stationed off the coast of Israel. Add in eleven defense destroyers and several cruisers and support vessels positioned in the region. The Iranian regime did not react to American and Israeli strikes with calculated strategy and precision, but with miscalculated bluster.
When strikes came raining down on Saturday, Iran’s retaliation was swift. As expected, the Islamic Republic fired on Israel as it had vowed to do, and launched ballistic missiles against U.S. bases in several Gulf countries. Iran apparently did not expect backlash, however, from its Sunni Arab neighbors. On January 20, Iran’s parliamentary national security commission had declared that any attack on the country’s supreme leader “would amount to a declaration of war on the Muslim world.” With Khamenei dead, instead of support from its Muslim neighbors, Iran drew fury from them as it unleashed attacks against American targets inside Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. These countries confirmed they had intercepted Iranian missiles. Gulf states proceeded to close their airspace to Iran, while Saudi Arabia voiced a right to defend itself. “Saudi Arabia says reserves right of response after Iran attacks Riyadh, east,” Al Arabiya, February 28, 2026:
Saudi Arabia confirmed Saturday that Iran hit Riyadh and its eastern region with strikes, warning it reserved the right to defend itself including by retaliating.

Saudi Arabia “expressed its strongest condemnation of the blatant and cowardly Iranian attacks targeting the Riyadh and Eastern Province regions, which were repelled,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“In light of this unjustified aggression, the Kingdom affirms that it will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory, citizens and residents, including with the option of responding to the aggression.”

The United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its top leaders and plunging the Middle East into a conflict that President Donald Trump said would end a security threat to the US and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers…

Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones towards the Gulf states, “forcing countries to scramble their air defenses in order to protect civilians.” Gulf countries under attack have shown unity in their condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Anwar Gargash, former UAE foreign minister and currently a foreign policy adviser to the country’s president, stated unequivocally to Iran: “Your war is not with your neighbors.”
Ironically, Gulf states hoped that hosting American bases on their turf would deter war, and they declined America permission to launch airstrikes against Iran from their territory. But now, Gulf states are no longer bystanders. According to Deutsche Welle:

Gulf states are now on the verge of being pulled into a conflict they say they want no part of, as well as potentially into an alliance with Israel, a country the majority have no official diplomatic relations with.

It is also uniting them, even though some, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have recently had major political disagreements. The Gulf states all have their own military forces, with Saudi Arabia’s considered the most powerful and well-funded. But experts doubt that the states will enter the fighting with their own militaries. Instead, they could allow the US greater access to territory or airspace, or they could even launch limited strikes against Iran

Retired General Jack Keane warned that the Gulf states are prepared to act.” With the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader and the killing of a 40 senior commanders “within a minute,” Gulf countries which criticized the strikes initially are “shifting posture” at a catastrophic time for Iran.
The UK has now given its permission for the U.S. to use British bases for “defensive purposes.” Keir Starmer announced his commitment to “our partners in the Gulf,” who he says “have asked us to do more to defend them.” He added:

And it’s my duty to protect British lives. We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes, but the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.”

The Iranian regime isn’t decelerating despite its isolation, while the Gulf states are responding “with technology supplied by the U.S.,” according to General Jack Keane. He continues: --->READ MORE HERE