The GCC Ministerial Council has issued its strongest condemnation yet of Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, describing the strikes as a brazen act of aggression against the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of member states.
The council met in Manama on Wednesday and said in a statement that the attacks served no purpose of dialogue or rapprochement, but instead deepened divisions, eroded trust and shut the doors to diplomacy. “Aggression does not build relations, and intimidation does not create stability,” the statement said.
Ministers expressed full solidarity with Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, stating that GCC security is indivisible and that an attack on any one member constitutes an attack on all. The council sought to reassure citizens and residents that joint defence capabilities and air defence systems were responding to the strikes with high efficiency and readiness.
Iran was held fully responsible for the attacks and their consequences for regional security, international navigation and energy supplies. The council demanded an immediate halt to all strikes and a permanent end to any targeting of GCC states, their interests or their nationals.
The statement also called on the UN Security Council and the international community to condemn the aggression and hold those responsible to account. The council cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, which it said guarantees the inherent right of states to individual and collective self-defence when subject to armed attack.
In closing, the council posed a direct question to Tehran: how can future relations be built while these attacks continue? It warned that persisting with aggression would only deepen Iran’s isolation, while adding that the door to dialogue remained open for those who chose the language of wisdom and good neighbourliness.
