Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Jordan have issued a sweeping joint statement condemning what they describe as blatant Iranian aggression against countries in the region, invoking their right to self-defense under international law.
Released by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 25, 2026, the statement renews and escalates the bloc’s collective condemnation of Iranian attacks, characterizing them as flagrant violations of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, international humanitarian law, and the Charter of the United Nations. The countries specifically called out attacks carried out not only directly by Iran but also through proxy armed factions operating from Iraqi territory against neighboring states and their infrastructure.
The statement explicitly references United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026), which demands that Iran immediately and unconditionally cease all attacks and threats against neighboring states, including those conducted through proxies — a resolution the signatories say Iran has openly defied.
On the question of Iraq, the six nations struck a careful diplomatic tone. While affirming their fraternal ties with Baghdad, they issued a firm demand that the Iraqi government take concrete action to halt militia and armed group operations launching from its soil, warning that failure to do so risks undermining regional stability and bilateral relations.
Perhaps most significantly, the joint statement invokes Article 51 of the UN Charter — the international legal basis for the right to self-defense — affirming that all six nations reserve the right to take any measures necessary to protect their sovereignty, security, and stability. This language is widely interpreted as a warning that military responses to future attacks could be considered legitimate.
The statement also directly condemned the activities of Iranian-linked sleeper cells and Hezbollah-affiliated terrorist networks, which the countries say are actively plotting to destabilize their nations from within. It praised their respective armed forces and security agencies for confronting these threats.
The coordinated nature of the declaration, spanning six governments simultaneously, signals a rare and unified front among Gulf and Arab states against Iranian regional influence.
