GCC Chief Says Iran Has Fired More Than 7,000 Missiles and Drones at Gulf States Since Conflict Began

NEW YORK CITY — The Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general told the United Nations Security Council on Friday that Iran has launched more than 7,000 missiles and drones at Gulf Cooperation Council member states since Feb. 28, when the conflict began.

Jasem Mohammed Albudaiwi said the attacks also disrupted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening vital fertilizer supplies on which developing countries depend and raising the risk of famine.

• He urged the Security Council to take action to enforce resolutions, restore freedom of maritime navigation and ensure that Tehran pays reparations to victims of its actions.

Mr. Albudaiwi said the strikes over the past eight months targeted airports, seaports, oil and gas facilities, power stations, desalination plants and residential areas in all six GCC member states. He said the attacks resulted in deaths and injuries, extensive damage to infrastructure and serious harm to the waters of the Arabian Gulf.

“We are addressing your council today with a unified Gulf voice,” he told council members. The attacks were “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of GCC member states,” he added, and he called on the council to take action “to ensure their cessation (and) to prevent their recurrence.”

The meeting was requested by Bahrain to discuss heightened tensions in the region and threats to maritime security in the Gulf, and it was convened by Latvia, which holds the rotating presidency of the council this month.

Mr. Albudaiwi said the consequences of disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz had moved beyond economic effects to include “a serious humanitarian dimension.” He cited a prior warning from UN Secretary-General António Guterres about rising global inflation and the risk that “the developing and most vulnerable countries could be facing famine and acute food insecurity due to fertilizer shortages.”

He said the council had adopted Resolution 2817 in March, which condemned the Iranian attacks on GCC states and Jordan and demanded that they stop, and said the council now had “the responsibility to follow up on its implementation.” He also cited UN Human Rights Council Resolution 61/1 and called on Iran to provide “full, effective and prompt reparations” to victims.

Mr. Albudaiwi said the GCC held Tehran “fully responsible” for the attacks. He rejected Iran’s justifications for targeting countries he said “were not party to the war but instead exerted intensive diplomatic efforts to spare the region from escalation.”

He also cited the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation through international waters and straits, and said safe passage “shall not be impeded or suspended.” He rejected any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz or impose “unlawful restrictions or transit fees” on international shipping.

He called on the council to ensure the immediate and unconditional end to attacks by Iran, direct or through its proxies; an end to attacks by the Houthis and the enforcement of the arms embargo on the militia; the return of conditions for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to the situation before Feb. 28; and accountability, including full compensation by Iran.

Any regional or international deal with Tehran must address Gulf security concerns, Mr. Albudaiwi said, including Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles and drones, and its support for proxies. Better regional relations, he added, would require Iran to reciprocate “through clear actions, including ending attacks and threats (and) ceasing support for armed militias.”

He also restated the GCC’s support for an independent Palestinian state based on June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria.

“The security of the Arabian Gulf is an integral part of international security, and protecting the sovereignty and stability of its states is a test for the effectiveness of the collective security system,” Mr. Albudaiwi said.

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