Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – A joint ministerial meeting is being held today between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Russian Federation. The meeting aims to discuss the recent wave of Iranian attacks targeting vital facilities in GCC countries and Jordan. Participants will also discuss the serious security developments affecting the region.
High-level diplomatic coordination
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassem Al-Budaiwi, explained in an official statement that the meeting will be held via video conference with the participation of the foreign ministers of the GCC member states and their Jordanian counterpart. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will also participate. This extraordinary meeting aims to discuss the repercussions of the “brutal Iranian aggression” and its negative consequences, which have transcended regional boundaries to affect international peace and security, particularly in light of the escalating conflict that began on February 28th following US and Israeli airstrikes. This was followed by an Iranian response involving hundreds of missiles and drones.
Russian warnings against the military option
Indicating the sensitivity of the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for the Middle East, Vladimir Safronkov, warned ahead of the meeting that imposing military solutions in the Gulf region would only lead to further escalation. Safronkov stressed the need to learn from history, emphasizing that attempts to resolve regional problems by force have only exacerbated them and generated new crises instead of achieving the promised stability. This meeting comes at a time of unprecedented mobilization in the region. Therefore, the Gulf states and Jordan are seeking to garner international pressure to halt Iranian violations and protect civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, Moscow is attempting to play a balancing role to prevent the region from sliding into a full-blown regional war. All of this is unfolding against a backdrop of continued exchanges of fire and threats of a ground offensive.
