Foreign ministers of Gulf, Arab and regional countries condemned on Thursday Iran’s flagrant violation of principles of good neighborliness and of the sovereignty of nations, saying it will have grave repercussions against it and the security of the Middle East.
“Iran's attacks will cost it highly and impact relations with the countries and peoples of the region that will not stand idly by as they are threatened,” they warned in a statement after holding a consultative meeting in Riyadh.
The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Pakistan and Azerbaijan to discuss the Iranian escalation and efforts to bolster coordination to protect regional stability.
In a statement, the gatherers strongly condemned Iran’s rocket and drone attacks on the Gulf, Jordan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye, and its targeting of residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, water desalination plants, airports and diplomatic districts.
“The attacks cannot be justified under any excuse,” they stressed, saying they were a violation of sovereignty of nations and international law.
They held Iran “fully responsible for the losses”, saying the countries reserve the right to defend themselves.
Moreover, they warned Iran of the danger of supporting militias, urging it to “seriously reconsider is miscalculations and immediately and unconditionally cease its attacks and commit to United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
They urged Iran “to respect international and humanitarian laws and the principles of good neighborliness as a first step towards ending the escalation and achieving security and stability in the region”. They called for diplomacy to resolve crises.
“The future of relations with Iran depends on the respect of the sovereignty of countries and non-interference in their internal affairs and refraining from attacking their sovereignty and territories in any way, shape or form,” they demanded.
It must also refrain from using its military capabilities to threaten regional countries, they added. It must stop supporting, financing and arming its militias in Arab countries.
Iran must also refrain from threatening or impeding marine navigation in the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb Straits.
The FMs also expressed their support for Lebanon’s security, stability and territorial integrity. Lebanon must have sovereignty across its territories.
They stressed their backing of the Lebanese government’s decision to impose state monopoly over weapons, while condemning the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and its expansionist ambitions in the region.
The FMs said they will continue to hold intense consultations to follow up on the developments to come up with joint positions and take the necessary measures to protect their security, stability and sovereignty and stop the heinous Iranian attacks against their countries.
