https://arab.news/p72z2
The Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers met in Doha on Tuesday to express solidarity with Qatar a day after it was attacked by Iran. Although the missile attack did not cause any casualties or substantial material damage, it was unprecedented. It was the first military attack by Iran against Qatar and probably the first time Qatar was attacked in recent memory.
The foreign ministers’ gathering was the second emergency meeting in as many weeks. Under GCC rules, the Ministerial Council, the official name for foreign ministers’ meetings, meets four times a year in regular sessions, but it can meet any time in emergency sessions.
The previous meeting on June 16 was convened to discuss Israel’s attack on Iran. At that meeting, the GCC ministers expressed support for Iran and roundly condemned the Israeli attacks — and Qatar was among the most enthusiastic supporters. Over the decades, Doha has cultivated a close rapport with Tehran, while maintaining good relations with the US, which maintains one of its largest military bases in the country.
Qatar has frequently mediated between Iran and the US and, as such, Iran’s missile attack on Monday was surprising. The foreign ministers unequivocally condemned Tehran’s action and rejected its justifications. Under the Mutual Defense Treaty of 2000, the GCC states are committed to providing maximum support to any member subjected to external aggression, a commitment that was renewed on Tuesday, as the council stressed that the GCC countries’ security is “indivisible” and that an attack on one state is an attack on all of them. They also praised Qatar’s ability to thwart the attack and eliminate nearly all the missiles Iran launched against it.
