Iranian Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. Forces of Using Gulf Civilians as ‘Human Shields’ in Shift to Commercial Hotels

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urges Gulf nations to ban U.S. troops from hotels, accusing them of using civilians as shields following strikes on military bases.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 27, 2026, 5:09 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Anadolu Agency

The Alleged Migration of U.S. Forces to Civilian Infrastructure

In a series of statements released on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that the ongoing conflict has forced a significant operational shift for the United States military presence in the Persian Gulf. Araghchi asserted that since the commencement of the joint US-Israeli offensive on February 28, American service members have increasingly vacated established military installations across the GCC. According to the Foreign Minister, these troops are now taking shelter in commercial hotels and private office buildings in major Gulf cities. He argued that this relocation is a direct response to the effectiveness of Iranian missile and drone strikes, which have reportedly rendered several traditional bases nearly uninhabitable.

Charges of Using 'Human Shields' and Endangering Civilians

The core of Araghchi’s message focused on the perceived risk this military presence poses to the local populations of nations like the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain. By integrating combatants into high-density civilian areas, Araghchi accused the United States of using GCC citizens as "human shields" to deter Iranian counter-attacks. He characterized this as a cynical defensive tactic that shifts the burden of risk from military assets to innocent travelers and local residents. The Foreign Minister compared the situation to domestic policies in the United States, where he claimed certain hotels refuse bookings to military officers whose presence might endanger other guests, urging Gulf hospitality providers to adopt a similar "denial of service" policy for U.S. personnel.

Military Justification for Potential Strikes on Commercial Targets

The Foreign Minister’s warnings were bolstered by comments from Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff. Speaking on state television, Shekarchi clarified that from a tactical perspective, any civilian facility housing significant numbers of American forces loses its protected status. "When all the Americans go into a hotel, then from our perspective that hotel becomes American," he stated, adding that Iran reserves the right to "strike wherever they are." This rhetoric effectively categorizes major international hotel chains and urban business districts as legitimate military targets, significantly raising th...