On Sunday, the foreign ministers of the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in the final statement of the 168th Council of Ministers meeting, chaired by Abdullatif Al-Zayani, the foreign minister of Bahrain, and attended by Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, held in Manama, called for a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to overcome the current crisis between the U.S. and Iran.
Support for Mediation Efforts
The statement mentioned that member countries support regional and international mediation efforts to achieve a political solution. The ministers also emphasized the necessity of maintaining security and stability in the region and ensuring the safety of its people.
Unresolved Issues and the Need to Respect Sovereignty
They called for addressing unresolved issues, including Iran's nuclear program, missiles, drones, and support for Tehran's allied groups, and deemed it essential to respect the sovereignty of countries and refrain from interfering in their internal affairs. The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council emphasized that member countries must participate in any negotiations or arrangements that affect their security and interests.
The statement noted that the attending foreign ministers emphasized the necessity of restoring security and freedom of navigation and returning the conditions of the Strait of Hormuz to the status prior to February 28, 2026, and pointed out that this action should be in accordance with international law and respect the sovereignty of coastal countries and the rights of relevant countries.
The foreign ministers of the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, without mentioning Iran's maritime blockade and the violation of the Islamabad agreement by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia's attacks on Yemen, deemed it necessary to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Red Sea, describing these routes as vital passages for global trade and energy supply.
The statement from the foreign ministers of these countries also condemned Iran's missile and drone attacks against member countries of the council and Jordan, without mentioning their own countries' involvement in U.S. and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
While the damages inflicted on Iran due to U.S. attacks, many of which were carried out from the territory of Gulf countries, have been estimated by official sources to be as high as $270 billion, the foreign ministers of these countries, in their final statement of the 168th meeting, called on the Security Council to compel Iran to compensate for the damages caused by its military responses!
Read more: Strategic Dialogue Meeting between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council in Manama · Hamid Reza Hajibabaei: The Strait of Hormuz is a Symbol of the Power of the Iranian Nation
