Bangladesh, Sept. 10 -- Tehran sought to exploit divisions across the Gulf by widening the war. Instead, its attacks are pushing Arab states toward a more coordinated strategy of diplomatic, economic and security pressure.

When Iran began expanding its attacks across the Gulf on Feb. 28, Tehran appeared to be pursuing a familiar strategy: widen the battlefield, multiply the risks for its adversaries and force neighboring states to reconsider the cost of supporting the United States and Israel.

The calculation was straightforward. If Iran could bring more Arab countries under direct attack, it could create competing national priorities, expose differences among Gulf governments and prevent a unified regional response. The wider the confl...