RIYADH, Saudi Arabia. The Gulf Cooperation Council has issued a formal condemnation of what it characterizes as Iranian attacks targeting ADNOC tankers and other commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, signaling deepening institutional concern over maritime security in one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways.
Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, the council’s Secretary-General, framed the incidents as part of a pattern of escalation that poses direct risks to regional stability and the safety of international shipping. The council’s formal position holds that such strikes represent an unacceptable threat to maritime navigation, and that Gulf nations categorically reject any actions that jeopardize regional stability or the integrity of critical shipping corridors.
The institutional response extends beyond condemnation to explicit demands for policy change. Al-Budaiwi called for Iran to halt all hostile activities with immediate effect, emphasizing that continued strikes undermine both regional and global stability. He simultaneously appealed to the international community to deploy diplomatic mechanisms and pressure on Tehran, framing compliance with international maritime law and protection of global trade channels as obligations requiring coordinated enforcement.
The council’s analysis connects the security threat directly to economic consequences. Targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the institutional assessment, creates direct jeopardy to global energy supply chains and broader economic stability. The Strait remains a critical maritime choke point. The council contends that preserving freedom of navigation there demands unified international intervention rather than unilateral or fragmented responses.
By contrast, the council’s internal solidarity message was unambiguous. The Gulf Cooperation Council formally reaffirmed its support for the United Arab Emirates, pledging full backing for measures the UAE undertakes to protect its sovereignty and national interests. Maritime security, the council stated, ranks as a top institutional priority for Gulf nations, with safe passage through regional waters framed as essential to preventing further escalation.
The statement reflects the formal position of a multilateral institution representing multiple Gulf states and their collective security interests. It places responsibility for de-escalation squarely on Iran while calling on external powers to participate in diplomatic pressure and enforcement of existing maritime law. The council’s framing is deliberate: the threat to energy supplies and global trade gives the dispute international dimensions, and the institution argues those dimensions demand international remedies.
Whether that appeal for coordinated external pressure produces a measurable diplomatic response from outside the region remains the open question now facing the council and its member states.