Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
Regional alliance of Gulf Arab states; member states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) targeted in Iran's attacks.
Last refreshed: 29 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Six countries built a bloc to contain Iran forty years ago; why is Iran picking them off one by one?
Latest on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
- What is the GCC?
- The Gulf Cooperation Council is a political and economic alliance of six Gulf Arab states: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman. Founded in 1981 as a counterweight to Iran.Source: editorial
- Are GCC countries fighting Iran?
- GCC members are absorbing Iranian strikes and have signed a joint offensive action statement, but none has launched direct military action against Iran. Response has been defensive interception and diplomatic expulsions.Source: editorial
Background
Founded in 1981 in Abu Dhabi, the GCC unites Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman as a political and economic bloc. It was created explicitly as a counterweight to Iran after the Islamic Revolution, though internal disputes, including a 3.5-year Saudi-led blockade of Qatar, have repeatedly tested cohesion. Member states collectively hold roughly 30 per cent of global proven oil reserves.
The Gulf Cooperation Council has been split by the 2026 conflict between collective self-defence and individual survival. Saudi Arabia expelled Iranian envoys , Kuwait's refineries have been struck twice , Bahrain has absorbed 198 projectiles in six days , and Qatar expelled Iranian military attaches after Ras Laffan was hit .
GCC members have queued for Ukrainian drone interceptors at $1,000 per unit , a measure of how urgently they need air defence beyond what Washington provides. The bloc put offensive action in writing for the first time , but whether that translates into coordinated military response remains the unanswered question.
