Gulf leaders convene for emergency meeting amid Iran tension

An emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be held today via video conference, Al Jazeera reports, citing a source in the Gulf region.

The GCC is a political and economic alliance of six Arabian Peninsula countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The meeting addressed the rapidly escalating regional crisis following joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes (Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion) on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, and Iran's subsequent retaliatory missile and drone barrages targeting U.S. military bases and assets across the region.

Iranian strikes hit or affected U.S.-hosted sites in multiple GCC countries (e.g., Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Naval Support Activity Bahrain, bases in UAE/Kuwait; some reports of debris/missile intercepts over Dubai/Doha causing civilian alerts, flight suspensions, airport closures at Dubai/Abu Dhabi, and minor damage/injuries). Iran (per SNSC Secretary Ali Larijani) insists targets are strictly U.S.-controlled "territory," not host nations, but impacts have violated sovereignty/airspace per Gulf views.

By Khagan Isayev