IDEX-2007, touted as the "world's largest military defence exhibition," began yesterday in Abu Dubai, UAE, inciting a shopping spree amongst the Arab Gulf States.

The exhibition, according to a report by the Associated Press, has been highly anticipated by states in the Persian Gulf region. "Officially supported," by the UAE government, the IDEX exhibition has attracted most of the usual suspects in the US defence contracting industry including Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin & Boeing.

The rising tension is the region between Iran & the US & the fear that "violence [in Iraq] will spill into nearby" Gulf states has led to what the AP described as "shopping sprees for helicopters, ships & tanks." Governments from the Gulf region are expected to offer contracts whose value will "soar past" the US$2 billion in contracts offered at IDEX in 2005.

Despite repeated attempts by US officials to downplay rumours of war with Iran, the threat of air attacks by the United States or Israel on targets inside Iran is "pushing Gulf defence ministers to consider missile defence systems...warships, including minesweepers & early-warning radar." Fears of conflict with Iran were further escalated over the weekend as Iran conducted "military exercises" in the region. As a second US aircraft carrier strike group is steaming toward the Gulf (with a third likely to follow), the exercises were condemned as "deliberately provocative" by US Fifth Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Patrick Walsh.

While Iran is not expected to send an official delegation to the exhibition, Iranian military officials are "certain to be roaming the show & studying the weapons."