(FILE) A handout photo made available by the UAE Presidential Court shows (L-R), Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi posing for a family photo during the summit between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States, at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 14 May 2025. Photo: EFE.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) urged the United States and Iran on Monday to resume dialogue to overcome their bilateral crisis and called for restoring security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, during its 168th Ministerial Council session in Manama, Bahrain.

The foreign ministers also demanded that GCC member states participate in any negotiation or agreement that could affect their security and interests.

According to the final resolution, the ministers highlighted the need to address pending issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones and Tehran’s support for allied groups, while calling for respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

RELATED: Iran: Supertanker Catches Fire After Striking a Naval Mine in the Strait of Hormuz

The statement comes amid the confrontation between Washington and Tehran that began on February 28, and the stagnation of diplomatic efforts due to differences over Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In that context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Iran’s willingness to reopen the maritime route within a week, provided Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, including lifting the blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on its oil exports.

BREAKING: Iran announces an oil tanker has hit a naval mine while exiting the Strait of Hormuz through the US-backed southern Omani corridor, with a massive fire in the engine room. pic.twitter.com/kzMnoJr4Q0

— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) October 18, 2026

On navigation, the GCC ministers called for the situation in Hormuz to return to the conditions existing before February 28, in accordance with international law, the sovereignty of coastal states and the rights of affected countries. They stressed the importance of guaranteeing maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea, and warned against closing those routes, obstructing traffic, attacking merchant ships and crews, laying mines and imposing illegal fees or restrictions on passage. They also rejected making navigation subject to prior authorizations or imposed routes in contradiction with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

They chose to take the straits hostage. They would have done it anyway.

Imagine if Iran had a nuclear weapon.

At that point, they could say, "And by the way, we own the Strait of Hormuz, and you guys can’t do anything about it because we won’t just hit… pic.twitter.com/OUgeE88qon

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026

The meeting was chaired by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, with the attendance of his counterparts from member countries and the organization’s secretary-general.

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.