Riyadh, March 8 — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has strongly condemned recent Iranian strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, calling the attacks “dangerous acts of aggression” that endanger regional security and stability.
In an official statement posted on the GCC website, Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned what he described as a deliberate Iranian assault on Gulf territories. He said the strikes reflect Tehran’s “escalatory approach” in the broader regional conflict and criticized the targeting of civilian infrastructure as a “flagrant and unacceptable violation of all international norms and charters.” Albudaiwi reiterated the council’s unity and pledged support to Bahrain and Kuwait in safeguarding their security, sovereignty and critical facilities.
The GCC statement followed claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that it had launched the 27th phase of “Operation True Promise 4,” which the IRGC said was directed at American and Israeli positions. Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported that the IRGC described the campaign as retaliation for what it called a new wave of “unprovoked US-Israeli aggression” against the Islamic Republic.
According to IRGC statements carried by Press TV, the latest phase involved coordinated drone and missile strikes. The IRGC said its Aerospace Division used newly developed solid-fuel Kheibar-Shekan missiles with terminal guidance to strike targets in Haifa and that unmanned aerial systems hit a site housing American personnel in an area identified as “Marina,” near buildings linked to Warner Brothers. The IRGC also alleged its naval forces struck facilities they associated with the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, including an unmanned surface vessel command centre and support hangars at Salman Port.
The IRGC further accused Israeli authorities of trying to use civilians as a human shield by restricting movement to northern and central parts of the occupied territories. It said its retaliatory strikes had triggered emergency sirens across the region and warned that its forces were prepared for prolonged escalation, saying they were “lying in wait for American forces with precision and planning.”
Iranian statements also claimed earlier phases of the operation included hundreds of ballistic missiles and suicide drones launched at strategic targets such as Tel Aviv, the occupied city of al-Quds, and Be’er Sheva, and asserted engagements against the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and a destroyer in the Indian Ocean. These claims have been reported by Iranian state media and the IRGC.
The GCC condemnation emphasizes the council’s alarm at attacks on member states’ territory and infrastructure and its call for measures to protect civilian populations and critical assets. The situation remains tense, with competing claims from regional actors and continued international concern over escalation.
