Jasem Albudaiwi says Iran must prove itself to Gulf states

Jasem Albudaiwi, head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said Iran must show it wants better ties with Gulf states after months of attacks.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi on Monday, he said Tehran has taken the relationship “back to square one.” He made the remarks at the Hili Forum.

“The ball is in Iran’s court,” the secretary-general said. In his view, “it is Iran that must prove itself” to Gulf states and the world.

Jasem Albudaiwi on Gulf projects since February 28

The six-member bloc is now working through projects that grew out of events after February 28. The list includes better supply links, shared water networks, emergency stockpiles, fresh oil and gas pipeline paths, and a bigger power grid connection.

Some of the work has come roughly 50 to 60 per cent of the way, he said, and other parts stand near 70 per cent. He did not say which figure fits which project.

Gulf leaders held a consultative meeting in Jeddah on April 28. There they tasked the bloc’s secretariat with drawing lessons from the crisis and moving shared plans along faster.

Leaders also urged closer military integration and a faster finish for the ballistic-missile early-warning system.

What happened when Hormuz closed

Albudaiwi gave one clear example of why those links matter. Therefore, he cited the Hormuz closure. Once the Strait of Hormuz shut, geography left Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait with a hard supply problem.

Their neighbours the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman opened up their docks, highways and haulage fleets. “Nothing was missing,” he said.

Border rules relaxed for a while, which let cargo reach the three countries faster. In his words, the six states have worked like a “beehive” since February 28.

By June, the bloc counted over 150 emergency meetings at ministerial and technical level to manage the fallout. Albudaiwi has also said Gulf forces shot down more than 7,000 missiles and drones that Iran fired toward members.

Jasem Albudaiwi at the ministerial council

A day earlier, Jasem Albudaiwi addressed the 168th Ministerial Council in Manama.

Gulf foreign ministers condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi territory there and backed the kingdom’s right to defend itself.

Albudaiwi condemned Iran’s repeated attacks on member states, which he said violate their sovereignty and territorial integrity. He added that the bloc cannot look away from them.

Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz drew criticism as well. In his account, Tehran tries to use the waterway as a tool of pressure and intimidation, which puts trade and energy supplies at risk.

Albudaiwi urged Iran to follow international law and the UN Charter. He wants UN Security Council Resolution 2817 applied in full, along with safe passage for ships through the strait.

The Gulf meeting led into talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, which Albudaiwi said would look at ways to develop Gulf-Russian cooperation.

For now, Jasem Albudaiwi has put the next move on Tehran, while the Gulf states keep building their own joint defences and supply routes. He also described the work as a lesson in how much practical cooperation already exists among members.