Since February 28, the Iranian regime has attempted to send contradictory messages to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states: at times, conciliatory political messages, and at other times, military messages involving direct bombardment of civilian targets.
There were two discourses: the military uniform discourse of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which disregards good neighborliness and international norms, characterized by arrogance, conceit, threats, and blackmail—a discourse reflecting 'Revolutionary Iran.' Alongside this, there was another diplomatic discourse from those in suits, representing 'Iran the state ' and its institutions.
Whether this contradiction was a pre-agreed division of roles or indicative of a systemic strategic conflict, Iran benefited from it. However, it was a temporary solution that Iran could not sustain for long. Ultimately, it harmed Iran's credibility rather than serving it, exhausting any appeal or request it could make to the international community or Gulf states to wait until a decision was reached internally between the two factions.
Iran then deliberately worked to differentiate between GCC states in its military attacks, intensifying pressure on some while easing it on others. The aim was to create disparate reactions, preventing a unified Gulf stance.
This has been its policy since February 28 to avoid facing a unified Gulf position, which would increase its burdens. Such a position would not only target Iran but also anyone who supports or cooperates with it in any way.
In contrast, the Gulf states have avoided confrontation with Iran, despite its blatant aggression from day one.
Following a series of condemnation statements, denunciations, and objections, attempts at dialogue or mediation, Israel's withdrawal from the scene, and repeated, unjustified aggressions that had lost their legitimacy from the very beginning, the statement awaited by the Gulf peoples was finally issued. It truly expressed the foundational objectives for which the GCC was originally established. May God have mercy on the founding fathers. The following paragraph in the statement speaks for all GCC peoples without exception:
"The GCC states reaffirmed full solidarity among member states and their commitment to standing as one to counter these attacks, stressing that the security of the GCC states is indivisible, and that any attack against any member state is considered a direct attack on all GCC states, in accordance with the GCC Charter and the Joint Defense Agreement. They also underlined the GCC states' right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, which guarantees the right of individual and collective self-defense in the event of an aggression, and the right to take all measures necessary to safeguard their sovereignty, security, and stability."
The choice now falls on Iran: To determine the fate of its relations with neighboring countries. Does it want to continue in this situation as a state or as a revolution?
