Human Rights Watch documented at least 11 civilian deaths and 268 injuries across Gulf states from Iranian strikes since 28 February1. Migrant workers comprise the majority of victims. The report catalogues strikes on residential buildings, hotels, civilian airports, embassies, and financial centres — infrastructure with no military function, staffed and inhabited overwhelmingly by foreign labour.
The demographics explain the casualty pattern. Expatriates make up roughly 88% of the UAE's population, 85% of Qatar's, and 70% of Kuwait's — overwhelmingly South Asian, Southeast Asian, and East African workers who run the ports, oil terminals, airports, and construction sites Iran is now striking. Many live in densely packed housing without access to reinforced shelters. Many work under the Kafala sponsorship system, which restricts their ability to leave the country without employer permission. When Oman suffered its first wartime deaths — two foreign nationals killed by a drone in the al-Awahi Industrial Area — the dead were workers, not soldiers or citizens. The first fatality inside Abu Dhabi was a person of Palestinian nationality struck by a missile in Al Bahyah.
Pezeshkian's 8 March apology and pledge to stop targeting neighbouring states produced no change in Iranian fire2. The UAE intercepted 10 ballistic missiles and 45 drones on 17 March alone, closing its airspace for hours. Cumulative Gulf interceptions exceed 2,000 since 28 February. The Security Council's Resolution 2817 — passed 13–0 with a record 135 co-sponsors condemning Iran's attacks on neighbours — has had no observable effect on targeting. The IRGC has declared all US interests in the UAE 'legitimate targets', a designation encompassing the commercial infrastructure where migrant workers spend their days. These workers cannot vote, cannot petition their governments for protection, and in many cases cannot leave. They face the war's highest civilian exposure and hold no voice in how it ends.
