Leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council states met in Jeddah yesterday for a consultative summit. The meeting is significant as it comes in the backdrop of recent unprecedented military escalation in the region. GCC states have been subjected to criminal attacks on their sovereignty in recent months, while region’s maritime traffic via the vital Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted due to its blockade.
Qatar has warned against military escalation and advocated for peaceful solutions to conflict and issues. While it is not directly involved in the talks, Qatar has voiced support for the efforts to broker a peace agreement between the US and Iran. Qatar has also categorically rejected the use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool and called for security and freedom in this vital shipping lane.
At the summit, the GCC leaders condemned the blatant Iranian attacks against the member states and Jordan. These attacks have led to a sharp loss of confidence by the GCC states in Iran, which requires Iran to take the initiative to make serious efforts to rebuild trust, according to a statement released by the GCC Secretary-General at the conclusion of the summit. The leaders also affirmed the right of the member states to defend themselves, individually or collectively, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the UN, and to take all measures to protect their sovereignty, security and stability.
The leaders also expressed their categorical rejection of Iran’s illegal measures to close the Strait of Hormuz, obstruct navigation through it and threaten its security, as well as any measures that would negatively affect navigation through it, including the imposition of fees under any circumstance or designation for the passage of ships through it, stressing the need to restore the security and freedom of navigation and return conditions in the Strait to what they were before February 28, 2026.
As Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said, the summit embodied a unified Gulf stance during the current regional and global situation. Throughout the recent regional crisis, leaders of the GCC states showed utmost wisdom, prioritising long-term peace, stability and prosperity for the people of the region. With unity and coordination among the GCC member states, the region is certain to emerge stronger from the current situation and achieve new heights in its journey for development and prosperity.
