Gulf Cooperation Council

UAE tried to coordinate with Saudi Arabia, Qatar to strike Iran during recent war - report

The UAE attempted to convince Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf states to coordinate a military response to Iran’s missile and drone attacks, but neighbors refused, sources told Bloomberg.

|ByJAMES GENN
An Emirati F-16E fighter jet; illustrative.
UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei speaks, on the day of the Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) conference, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 4, 2026.

Fractures rock Gulf alliance as UAE quits OPEC during Iran war - analysis

Abu Dhabi’s exit, a summit snub, and public criticism expose a widening Saudi-Emirati split reshaping energy and security coordination.

|ByJACOB WIRTSCHAFTER / THE MEDIA LINE
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi chairs an extraordinary meeting of Arab League foreign ministers day before the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Istanbul, Turkey, June 20, 2025

After Iran war, attack on Gulf States, will the GCC withdraw from Arab League - analysis

Abdullah Al-Khamis, a Kuwaiti political journalist, proposes an alternative: an Arab coordination council comprising the Gulf states, Jordan, Morocco, and Syria.

|ByALI HUSSAIN/THE MEDIA LINE
A view of Burj Khalifa, after an Iranian attack, following United States and Israel strikes on Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 1, 2026

After the war: A more coordinated, but still divided, Gulf - opinion

Iranian strikes, targeting not only military assets but also civilian infrastructure, have underscored vulnerabilities across the Gulf.

|ByMORDECHAI CHAZIZA

Blinken urges Hamas to accept 'extraordinarily generous' Israeli peace proposal, releasing hostages

Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan after he visits Saudi Arabia, the State Department announced on Sunday. The US official will be in the region until May 1.

APRIL 29, 2024ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a Joint Ministerial Meeting of the GCC-US Strategic Partnership to discuss the humanitarian crises faced in Gaza, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 29, 2024.

Turkey and Gulf states to launch talks for free trade pact

After years of tension, Turkey launched a diplomatic charm offensive in 2020 to mend ties with Gulf countries, namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.

MARCH 21, 2024ByREUTERS
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates meets with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, during an official reception, at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, July 19, 2023.

Qatar to host foreign ministers from Gulf on Sunday

The meeting, reported in Arab News, is expected to take place ahead of the 44th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.

DECEMBER 3, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Qatar Airways flight.

Gulf states and US seek MidEast stability, Iran 'de-escalation' 

The US and Gulf powers reportedly welcome diplomatic engagement with Iran despite Tehran's history of malign activities.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Leaders and representatives of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) attend a meeting during their annual summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, December 5, 2017.

Qatar's tourism industry thrives post-World Cup: 347% increase in arrivals expected

Doha is increasingly competitive with more traditional tourist centers such as Dubai and Manama.

AUGUST 6, 2023ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
Fans arriving in Qatar - Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar - November 19, 2022

Iran, Russia spar over ‘non-negotiable’ Gulf islands

Russia issued a joint statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council in support of the UAE's initiative to reach a peaceful agreement on the three Gulf islands.

JULY 21, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin sits next to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (not pictured) in Tehran, Iran July 19, 2022.

Russia and Gulf countries seek to increase cooperation - analysis

The Gulf is increasingly a center of world affairs, with Russia's meeting with the GCC coming amid the war in Ukraine as well as other high-profile international delegations.

JULY 11, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi attend a joint press conference in Moscow, on July 10, 2023.

Indian businesses invest billions in GCC

Experts disagree on the extent to which the Indian investments benefit the local economies

MAY 14, 2023ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 14, 2023.

Gulf leaders to US: Take responsibility for Israel's Bezalel Smotrich

The Gulf foreign ministers specifically referred to Smotrich's statements regarding "wiping out" Huwara and claiming that the Palestinian people didn't exist.

MARCH 26, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Head of the Religious Zionist Party MK Bezalel Smotrich gives a press statement at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on May 26, 2021.

Blinken meets E3 Foreign Ministers: “concern about Iran’s nuclear escalation”

The US and the GCC called on Iran “to immediately reverse course, cease its nuclear provocations and engage in meaningful diplomacy."

FEBRUARY 16, 2023ByOMRI NAHMIAS
GULF COOPERATION Council foreign ministers meet in Riyadh, last year. President Joe Biden is to attend a GCC meeting, augmented by the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.