Arab League calls emergency summit as Iranian strikes hit Gulf States following US-Israel air campaign on Tehran

Arab League foreign ministers will convene an emergency videoconference meeting on Sunday to formulate a unified Arab response to a wave of Iranian missile and drone attacks that have struck multiple member states across the Gulf in recent days.

The meeting was requested by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Egypt, according to the bloc’s assistant secretary-general Hossam Zaki.

US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28. Iran has since retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf countries.  The Iranian attacks have targeted US military bases as well as civilian sites including airports and residential buildings, with strikes reported across around a dozen Arab countries. Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar have reported a particularly high number of incidents.

Saudi Arabia reported intercepting missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US personnel, while drones were also shot down near key oil facilities including the Shaybah field.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned the Iranian attacks in unusually strong terms, describing them as “fully reprehensible” and “not only a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, but also an assault on the principles of good neighbourliness,” adding that the strikes “create an unprecedented state of hostility between Iran and its Arab neighbours.”

Aboul Gheit further called the attacks “a grave Iranian strategic mistake,” expressing hope that Tehran would rectify the situation by halting strikes immediately. The emergency meeting is expected to address the security implications of the attacks and coordinate a joint Arab position on the escalating regional crisis.

The meeting takes place against a fast-moving military backdrop. Trump has stated there will be no deal with Iran without unconditional surrender, while the Israeli military claims to have destroyed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s bunker. Iran has so far rejected ceasefire negotiations, with its foreign minister declaring the country is prepared for a possible US ground invasion.