GCC Tells UN Security Council Gulf States Have Faced More Than 7,000 Missiles and Drones

Albudaiwi said the strikes had hit vital installations and civilian facilities, killed and wounded people, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the marine environment. He said attacks on GCC states violate international law and called on the Council to act to stop them, to enforce the arms embargo, to hold those responsible to account and to secure compensation for the damage.

For business, the most consequential part of the briefing concerned shipping. Albudaiwi condemned attacks on commercial vessels and oil and gas tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandab Strait, and rejected any attempt to close those waterways or obstruct navigation. He warned that the disruption had gone beyond its economic cost and become a serious humanitarian threat because of its effect on global supply chains.

The Strait of Hormuz has been largely closed since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. The International Energy Agency said this week that Gulf crude exports recovered to 18.4 million barrels a day in October, still 26% below prewar levels.

Albudaiwi also said any understandings reached in negotiations must address the security concerns of GCC states and ensure their participation in talks affecting their interests, a point that carries weight as major powers prepare to discuss Iran. He restated the council's support for an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria.

He closed by calling on the Security Council and the international community to secure an immediate and unconditional halt to attacks on GCC states and commercial shipping, and said the security of the Arabian Gulf is an integral part of international security. The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump intends to raise Iran at a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Shenzhen on Thursday.