Gulf bloc presses UN for Iranian attack reparations

Gulf Arab states demanded full compensation from Iran on Friday for missile and drone attacks that have damaged civilian infrastructure, calling on the United Nations Security Council to enforce its resolutions and prevent further strikes.
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi told the Council in New York that member states had faced more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since February 28, when American and Israeli strikes against Iran triggered a wider regional conflict.
He said the attacks had hit airports, ports, energy installations, electricity networks, desalination facilities and residential districts, causing deaths, injuries and extensive damage. The GCC also cited damage to the marine environment in the Gulf.
Albudaiwi said the six member states held Tehran responsible for the attacks and their consequences. He rejected Iranian arguments that military action against Gulf territory was justified, insisting that the countries targeted had not participated in the war and had instead pursued diplomatic efforts to contain it.
Iran rejected that account. Its deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Gholamhossein Darzi, accused Gulf governments of allowing their territory, airspace and military facilities to support American and Israeli operations against Iran. He argued that those governments bore responsibility for facilitating attacks and should themselves compensate Tehran for damage.
The competing claims highlighted the dispute over responsibility for a conflict that has disrupted regional transport, energy supplies and commercial shipping. Neither side’s allegations about the Gulf states’ involvement in military operations were independently established during the Council debate.
Albudaiwi called for implementation of Security Council Resolution 2817, adopted earlier this year, which condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf countries and Jordan and demanded their immediate cessation. He also referred to Human Rights Council Resolution 61/1, which called for accountability and reparations for losses arising from the attacks.
The demand for compensation did not include a specified total. Albudaiwi instead sought reparations for damage, losses and injuries attributed to the attacks, leaving the scale of any claims unresolved. His intervention placed the question of financial responsibility alongside the demands for an end to military action and protection of civilian facilities.
The GCC chief urged the Security Council to ensure that further attacks did not occur and to pursue accountability for those responsible. He also sought an immediate, unconditional end to Iranian strikes against GCC members and Jordan, alongside an end to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels.
His appeal came during a meeting requested by Bahrain, one of the six GCC members, amid concerns over the Strait of Hormuz and maritime routes connecting the Gulf with international markets. Latvia, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, chaired the proceedings.
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari warned that tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al Mandeb threatened international security and economic stability. Commercial vessels and crews had remained stranded inside the Gulf for months, he said, while attacks and restrictions on navigation continued to create uncertainty.
Khiari cautioned that an improvement in the volume of energy exports, helped by alternative routes, did not mean maritime conditions had returned to normal. His remarks underscored the difference between recovering export flows and restoring passage for merchant shipping.
Albudaiwi said any future understanding with Iran must address the security concerns of Gulf countries, including Tehran’s nuclear programme, ballistic missiles, drones and support for armed groups. He insisted that GCC governments must participate in negotiations or arrangements affecting their security and interests.
He maintained that Gulf security could not be separated from international security, particularly where attacks endangered shipping lanes and infrastructure.
The secretary-general also reaffirmed the bloc’s preference for dialogue, diplomacy, respect for sovereignty and non-interference. Gulf governments, he said, remained committed to mediation despite the attacks they attributed to Iran.
Darzi, meanwhile, challenged the legitimacy of the Council’s approach, describing Resolution 2817 as politically motivated and arguing that Iran was exercising its right to self-defence. He warned that any renewed American or Israeli military attack would bring a decisive Iranian response.
The six GCC members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Their demand for reparations was presented alongside calls to protect maritime navigation and civilian infrastructure, with the Council hearing different accounts of the war’s causes and legal consequences.