UAE's Gargash calls for unified Gulf response after Iran attacks Kuwait, Bahrain
The UAE condemned Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, while senior diplomat Anwar Gargash warned that Gulf security is indivisible and called for a coordinated regional response.
Senior UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash has called for a "firm, unified and cohesive" Gulf response following Iranian drone and missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain, according to a report by Khaleej Times.
His remarks came after an Iranian drone strike on Wednesday (3 June) hit a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport, injuring several people and forcing the suspension of air traffic.
The attack further heightened tensions across the Gulf as Iran and the United States exchanged strikes in the early hours of Wednesday, in one of the most serious challenges yet to the fragile ceasefire agreed on 8 April.
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The UAE also condemned what it described as Iranian terrorist attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, calling them a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to regional security, stability and civilian infrastructure.
Gargash, a presidential advisor to the UAE, urged Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states to adopt a coordinated approach in response to what he described as repeated aggression against Gulf nations.
"In light of Iran's repeated aggression against the sisterly states of Kuwait and Bahrain, a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf stance is imperative," Gargash posted on social media.
He stressed that no Gulf country should face such threats in isolation.
"No Gulf state should be left to face targeting alone, as the security of the Arab Gulf states is interconnected, their interests are shared, and their fate is one. This aggression does not target a specific state, but rather all of us."
According to Khaleej Times, Gargash has previously warned that the region faces a long-term crisis of trust and called for a reassessment of regional alliances.
He noted that while GCC countries had supported one another logistically during the current crisis, political and military coordination remained limited. He described the bloc's response as historically weak considering the scale of the threat.
Speaking at a session during the Gulf Influencers Forum in Dubai in April, Gargash said: "I was not surprised by the weakness of the Arab League, but what surprised me was the stance of the Gulf countries."
He added that Gulf countries should move away from a narrative that is "shy and complimentary" and instead adopt one that is firmly "realistic."
The UAE has repeatedly emphasised the need for diplomacy and negotiations to resolve regional tensions. It has also rejected Iran's attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Gargash reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to dialogue, saying the country continues to support a negotiated path through its diplomatic engagements.
"We did not seek this war, and we worked sincerely to avoid it," Gargash said in May. "Arab-Iranian relations in the Gulf cannot be built on confrontation and conflicts, in a region whose peoples are bound by deep-rooted geographical and historical ties."
