GCC chief: Iranian attacks on Gulf States are "War crimes"

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, condemned Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait on Saturday, describing them as "war crimes."

"Iran's actions represent an extremely dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as war crimes... given the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and facilities," Albudaiwi said in a statement.

This is the strongest language the GCC chief has used yet in a series of condemnations issued in recent weeks, as Iran has repeatedly struck Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Oman and the UAE, alongside attacks on commercial vessels in the region. Albudaiwi reaffirmed the GCC's full solidarity with the three countries and its support for all measures they are taking to protect their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

The statement comes as fighting between the United States, Israel and Iran has sharply escalated over the past week, with Tehran launching retaliatory strikes on US allies and interests across the Gulf following successive rounds of American strikes on Iranian territory. 

Kuwait reported a fire at one of its power and desalination plants after an Iranian strike on Friday, while Jordan has intercepted multiple waves of Iranian missiles entering its airspace in recent days.