Wall Street Journal: Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are getting closer to going to war with Iran

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are moving closer to deciding to join a war against Iran, due to constant attacks on them and the risk of Tehran gaining long-term influence in the Strait of Hormuz, the American newspaper Wall Street Journal reports.

Recent moves by two US allies in the Middle East are helping the US carry out airstrikes and opening a new line of attack on Iran's finances.

Due to recent attacks on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, the Persian Gulf states are becoming united in their hostility towards Tehran.

Late last week, the foreign ministers of 12 Arab and Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, held a meeting in Riyadh, after which they condemned Iran's attacks and announced that their countries reserve the right to defend themselves.

After the meeting, Saudi Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was scathing: "I cannot consider the attack on Riyadh while several diplomats are meeting as accidental... My diplomatic career is not that long, so (so far) I have not experienced such a blatant attempt at blackmail as a missile attack while a diplomatic meeting is taking place."

Hours before Bin Farhan Al Saud addressed the gathering, eight Iranian ballistic missiles were shot down over Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia recently agreed to allow US forces to use King Fahd Air Base, even though it had previously said it would not allow its bases and airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is leaning towards involving his country in the war, and an anonymous source for the American newspaper said that it is "only a matter of time."

In parallel, the Emirates is taking financial steps towards Iranian assets and property and lobbying against the ceasefire.

The UAE recently closed the Iranian Hospital and the Iranian Club in Dubai, according to multiple unnamed sources reported by the Wall Street Journal.

"Certain institutions directly linked to the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard Corps will be closed as part of targeted measures after it was determined that they were misused to promote an agenda that does not serve the Iranian people and violates UAE laws," government officials said in a statement.

The Emirates, which has long been a financial hub for Iranian firms, has warned Tehran that it could freeze billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets.

This could significantly limit Iran's access to foreign currency and global trade networks, and push the country, already suffering from inflation and sanctions, towards economic collapse, the Wall Street Journal writes.