Should Gulf Nations Enter Iran War? GCC Countries Put Their Heads Together At Saudi Meet

Jeddah: As the crisis in the Middle East seems to be far from over, and the Strait of Hormuz continues to blockaded by Iran, Gulf leaders have gathered in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss how to respond to missile and drone attacks from Tehran.

Iran has widened the conflict and raised the stakes for US and Iran, after it came under attack on February. It went on to attack US military installations in the Gulf countries, in a bid to take down enemy missile launchers. The talks in Jeddah take place amid fears of wider military escalation if the fragile ceasefire between Iran and US falls apart.

The meeting also marks the first time Gulf heads have come together since their countries were pounded upon by Iran. As the conflict went up the escalatory ladder, energy infrastructure, military sites and civilian facilities in UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Oman were targeted, along with military installations operated by the US.

The meeting was chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as leaders from across the Gulf came together for talks. 

Criticism From UAE

The meeting also comes at the back of visible cracks within the GCC, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) criticising it for its weak collective response to Iranian attacks.

"It is true that, logistically, the GCC countries supported each other, but politically and militarily, I think their position was the weakest in history," Senior UAE official Anwar Gargash reportedly said.

"I expected such a weak position from the Arab League, and I am not surprised by it, but I have not expected it from the GCC, and I am surprised by it," Gargash added.

Interestingly, the UAE walked out of OPEC and OPEC+ on Tuesday, which came as a major blow to the oil exporting groups, as well as its de-facto leader, Saudi Arabia. This came at the backdrop of a major energy shock owing to the Hormuz blockade.

Qatar Warns Of ‘Frozen Conflict’

Qatar, another important player in the region, has earlier warned against a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. "We do not want to see a return to hostilities in the region anytime soon, we do not want to see a frozen conflict that ends up being thawed every time there is a political reason," Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.

"Our position has been clear from day 1. Any conflict in the region should be solved on the negotiation table. And we believed in the negotiation process and we were supportive of the negotiation process and we will remain supportive of a diplomatic resolution," he added.

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