Political / GCC States Condemn in the Strongest Terms Iranian Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and on the Territories of the Council States

Riyadh, 24 Muharram 1448 AH corresponding to July 9, 2026 AD, SPA – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states today expressed their strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attack that targeted the Saudi tanker "Wadyan" and the Qatari tanker "Al-Rukiyat" while they were crossing the Strait of Hormuz, endangering the crew of both tankers, considering it an unacceptable assault on the security and safety of international navigation and global energy supplies. The GCC states also condemned in a statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council today the repeated brutal Iranian attacks on the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, in a grave violation of the provisions of international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which guarantee freedom of maritime navigation and safe passage through sea lanes, as well as violating the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and Iran, in which a ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz were agreed. The GCC states affirmed their full solidarity and united stance to confront these attacks, stressing that the security of the Council states is indivisible and that any attack on any member state is a direct attack on all Council states, in accordance with the GCC Charter and the Common Defense Agreement, pointing to the right of the Council states to defend themselves under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which guarantees the right of self-defense for states, individually and collectively, in case of aggression, and to take all measures that preserve their sovereignty, security, and stability. They held Iran fully responsible for these attacks and their repercussions, affirming that the continuation of these hostile acts and behavior destabilizing the region's security undermines regional and international peace and security, threatens the safety of international navigation, and exposes the stability of energy markets and the global economy to serious risks. The GCC states renewed their call on the international community, particularly the Security Council, to condemn these attacks, assume its responsibilities, and take a firm stance to ensure safe passage through international waterways, and guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions and without imposing transit fees or service charges, in accordance with the provisions of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, considering that as a fundamental pillar for energy security, food and medicine supplies, and the flow of global trade, and to take necessary measures for a permanent, immediate, and unconditional cessation of all Iranian hostile acts, the sustainable and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and rejection of any unilateral and illegitimate mechanisms or arrangements. They stressed the need for Iran's full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2817 and the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and Iran, and the implementation of the clauses contained therein to contribute to consolidating regional and international security and stability, and to reinforce the foundations of security and prosperity in the region and the world. // End //20:20 Mecca Time 0184