UAE's Gargash Calls For Firm, United Gulf Stance After Iran Attacks Kuwait, Bahrain

[Editor's Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]

A top UAE diplomat called for a "firm, unified and cohesive" Gulf response after Iranian drone and missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain, as Iran and the US traded attacks in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The remark from Anwar Gargash follows an Iranian drone strike on June 3 that hit a passenger terminal at Kuwait's international airport, injuring several people and suspending air traffic. The incident heightened tensions across the Gulf and prompted Gargash to call for coordinated diplomatic and security action.

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The UAE has also condemned the Iranian terrorist attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, calling them a flagrant violation and a breach of international law, and a threat to its security, stability, and the safety of its vital and civilian facilities.

Wednesday's hostile exchange between Iranian and US forces is one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire, which has largely held despite sporadic strikes after the war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.

Gargash, the UAE presidential advisor, urged Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to present a united front in response to what he described as repeated aggression against member states.

"In light of Iran's repeated aggression against the sisterly states of Kuwait and Bahrain, a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf stance is imperative," Gargash posted on social media.

He stressed that no Gulf country should be left to face such threats alone. Underlining the interconnected nature of regional security, he said:“No Gulf state should be left to face targeting alone, as the security of the Arab Gulf states is interconnected, their interests are shared, and their fate is one. This aggression does not target a specific state, but rather all of us."

Gargash had previously emphasised that the region is facing a crisis of trust that will extend for decades, and urged a rational review of alliances. The diplomat also pointed out that, during the ongoing crisis, while the GCC countries supported each other logistically, political and military cooperation remained weak. He described the GCC's stance as historically weak, given the magnitude of the threat.

Speaking at a session during the Gulf Influencers Forum in Dubai in April, he said,“I was not surprised by the weakness of the Arab League, but what surprised me was the stance of the Gulf countries." He urged that the Gulf narrative must evolve, moving away from being“shy and complimentary” to becoming strictly“realistic.”

The UAE has reiterated the importance of a political solution and negotiations to resolve regional tensions and also dismissed Iran's attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Gargash had stressed that the UAE affirms the importance of a political solution and a negotiated path,“which it continues to uphold in its various contacts”.

“We did not seek this war, and we worked sincerely to avoid it,” Gargash said in May.“Arab-Iranian relations in the Gulf cannot be built on confrontation and conflicts, in a region whose peoples are bound by deep-rooted geographical and historical ties.”

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