Supreme Leader Advisor: Small Countries on the Margins of the Persian Gulf Should Know Their Place Better

Ali Akbar Velayati, the international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, severely criticized the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in a post on the social media platform X, using the GCC hashtag.

Using derogatory language, Velayati described the Persian Gulf Arab states as “the small countries on the margins of the Persian Gulf,” writing: “Your survival depends on picking up the crumbs from this table. In the rearrangement of grand equations, the small countries on the margins of the Persian Gulf have no place at the table; they will be eliminated, and their strategic existence is indebted to Tehran’s ceiling of tolerance.”

Earlier, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had condemned the statement issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council. In a joint statement, the member states of the council had rejected any policy aimed at levying duties, imposing fees, or attempting to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, welcomed Oman’s decision on Friday, June 26, 2026, to establish a temporary maritime corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, while condemning what he termed “Iran’s threats against the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”