Gulf states have decried Iranian attacks on their territories, with representatives telling the United Nations Human Rights Council in an emergency meeting that the attacks amount to a gross violation of state sovereignty.
The nearly month long US-Israeli war on Iran has sparked large-scale Iranian retaliation in the form of drone and missile strikes in Gulf countries.
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan called the session at the UN’s top rights body, focused exclusively on Iran’s strikes on countries across the Gulf region and their impact on civilians.
Saudi Arabia’s representative to the UN, Abdulmohsen Majed bin Khothaila, condemned Iranian attacks during the emergency meeting called by Gulf states in Geneva on Wednesday, saying the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states were being attacked despite not being involved in the conflict.
“[Iranian attacks] violate the UN Charter and international law. We must call things by their name.
“To target a neighbour is a violation of the principles of good neighbourly relations. To target a mediator betrays all efforts aimed at peace and undermines any constructive initiative. To target states that are not party to the hostilities amounts to unacceptable and unjustifiable attacks that cannot be passed over in silence.”
Abdulmohsen Majed bin Khothaila
Qatar’s representative to the UN, Hend bint Abd al-Rahman al-Muftah, said that Iran’s attacks had “grave repercussions” that were “not only affecting peace and security in the world, but also human rights.”
“These attacks amount to a great source of concern for us, and we can no longer remain silent. To attack the electricity and desalination plants also involves serious environmental consequences and undermines rights that should be guaranteed by human rights provisions.”
Hend bint Abd al-Rahman al-Muftah
The Qatari representative also noted that the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz was “a source of great concern, given the dire consequences it can have on the economy and supply routes.”
Kuwait’s Ambassador, Naser Abdullah Alhayen, told the council that the Gulf was “seeing an existential threat to international and regional security.” “This aggressive approach is undermining international law and sovereignty,” Alhayen added.
Other Gulf states said Iran’s actions were designed to spread terror, with the UAE Ambassador Jamal Jama al Musharakh denouncing Iran’s “attempt to destabilize the international order through reckless adventures of expansionism.”
The United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted more than 2,000 Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, with its Ambassador Jamal Al Musharakh insisting, “We have never allowed the use of our airspace for attacks against Iran.” “This is not a mere military escalation: we are seeing random behavior that undermines international peace and security,” he said
The 47-member council was considering a draft resolution that “condemns in the strongest terms the egregious attacks” by Iran, condemns Tehran’s actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz and voices “grave concerns at the Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure.”
Oman, which had served as a mediator between the United States and Iran before the conflict, was one of the few countries to note that US-Israeli strikes had preceded Iran’s retaliatory attacks. Its Ambassador Idris Abdul Rahman Al Khanjari told the council.
“[They were] the spark that ignited the escalation currently affecting the region and the consequences are threatening states and their vital economic interests and their security and stability.”
Idris Abdul Rahman Al Khanjari
The UN’s Rights Chief, Volker Turk, warned that the war has created an “extremely dangerous and unpredictable” situation that is pushing the Middle East towards an “unmitigated catastrophe.”
“The only guaranteed way to prevent this is to end the conflict, and I urge all states, and particularly those with influence, to do everything in their power to achieve this.”
Volker Turk
Iran Defends Actions
Iran defended its actions, alleging that more than 1,500 civilians had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes so far. “We fight on behalf of all of you against an enemy that, if not restrained today, will be beyond containment tomorrow,” said Iran’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, referring to Israel.
Ali Bahreini said that Israel was “dragging the entire world towards chaos and peril” and warned Gulf countries that “those who are today appearing as your friends will cast off their masks tomorrow.”
Bahreini said airfields around the Gulf were “refuelling points of the fighter jets that every day drop their bombs on the Iranian people.”
“Responsibility for these attacks lies not only with those who carried out those attacks but also with those who facilitated, supported and encouraged them.
“We must unite against the evil plans of our common enemy Israel. Do not embolden Israel by targeting Iran… It is a historic mistake.”
Ali Bahreini
Iran, backed by China, will hold its own emergency session on Friday on a fatal strike on a primary school on the first day of the war, likely carried out by the US erroneously.
