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Gulf Cooperation Council - GCC

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 9, 2022. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
July 30, 2026, 6:31 pm
Frustrated with the US, Gulf states look to China for help reining in Iran
Beijing has avoided challenging Tehran’s Hormuz blockade, and Gulf concerns could end up taking a backseat to superpower politics and China’s reliance on Iranian oil, analysts say
By Samia Nakhoul and Timour Azhari
US President Donald Trump stands with Gulf leaders for a group photo during a meeting he attended with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
June 15, 2026, 9:34 pm
Gulf states could be left in the lurch and exposed by the US-Iran deal
After being caught in the crossfire of a war they didn’t want, wealthy Arab states are now ‘subjected to what amounts to blackmail’ from both Iran and the US, experts say
By Aya Iskandarani, Callum PATON and Sofiane Alsaar
Smoke rises from Kuwait international airport after a drone strike on fuel storage in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo)
March 30, 2026, 8:03 pm
Gulf states harden positions against Iran as economic toll of war mounts
As Trump negotiates, Arab states seem to be pushing for war to continue until certain demands are met, driven by the damage wreaked by Hormuz’s closure and attacks on energy sites
By Nurit Yohanan
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, right, and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani attend the consultative ministerial meeting in Riyadh, on March 19, 2026. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP)
March 22, 2026, 8:01 pm
Gulf states opposed war with Iran. Most are now pushing to keep the fight going
Officials tell ToI that after being attacked, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain believe Iran’s military must be cut down before a ceasefire can be called, with some considering joining the offensive
By Jacob Magid
FlyDubai planes are parked at Dubai International Airport as smoke rises in the background after an Iranian drone struck a fuel tank, forcing the temporary suspension of flights, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo)
March 17, 2026, 4:37 pm
Burnt by an Iran setting the region ablaze, Gulf also blames Israel for starting the fire
Tehran’s attacks on its neighbors have some rethinking ties, but Arab states are no happier with Jerusalem, which it sees as having plunged the region into war and costly chaos
By Nurit Yohanan
Residents watch as the flames and a black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
March 3, 2026, 6:25 pm
Hoping to pressure end to war, Iran aims fire at Arab neighbors. It hasn’t worked, yet
Tehran is betting raising the costs of fighting for the stability-hungry region will lead to Trump backing off strikes, but the Gulf’s defiance has foiled the strategy. Will it last?
By Lazar Berman
US President Donald Trump (left) speaks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during a gathering of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
May 14, 2025, 8:07 pm
Trump says Israel is not sidelined by his Gulf trip: ‘This is very good for Israel’
Visiting Riyadh and Doha, president claims that if it weren’t for the US, ‘probably none of the hostages would be living right now,’ says the remainder will be freed ‘step by step’
By Agencies
Women and children stand by the rubble of a collapsed building outside another building at the Shati camp for Palestinian refugees north of Gaza City on February 11, 2025 (BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
February 12, 2025, 1:51 pm
Senior Arab officials warn Trump’s Gaza plan would inflame Middle East
Arab League secretary general says scheme would have ‘damaging effect on peace and stability’; Gulf Cooperation Council chief urges ‘give and take’ with Arab world on issue
By Agencies and ToI Staff
A handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (3R) performing the Eid Al-Fitr prayer at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on April 10, 2024. (Photo by SAUDI PRESS AGENCY / AFP) /
April 16, 2024, 2:12 pm
‘Bad for business’: Between Israel and Iran, Gulf states scramble to avert wider war
Gulf nations playing a key mediating role, but also fear that Iran could choose to strike them if it can’t effectively hit Israel
By Talek HARRIS, Robbie COREY-BOULET and Callum PATON
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani (right) and Ron Klein, deputy director of International Affairs at the Israel Securities Authority, sign a fintech cooperation agreement, Sept. 4, 2023. (Courtesy)
September 5, 2023, 4:56 pm
Israel and Bahrain regulators ink fintech cooperation deal
Israel Securities Authority will work with the Central Bank of Bahrain to provide regulatory guidance and support to fintech entrepreneurs and startups in both countries
By Sharon Wrobel
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (R) escorts US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) as they arrive for a meeting with GCC Ministers at the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh on June 7, 2023. (Photo by AHMED YOSRI / POOL / AFP)
June 7, 2023, 9:12 pm
In Saudi Arabia, Blinken says US committed to Gulf allies, expanding Abraham Accords
US secretary of state is visiting kingdom in bid to strengthen ties with Riyadh as it pushes for rapprochement with America’s adversaries
By AFP and Jacob Magid
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji, right, meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (SANA via AP)
April 14, 2023, 7:37 pm
Arab nations meet to mull ending Syria’s long isolation as region shifts
Ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council countries plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan in Jeddah to discuss bringing Assad back into fold, angering rebels; Qatar denies détente on table
By AFP
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji, right, meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 12, 2023. (SANA via AP)
April 13, 2023, 3:38 pm
Saudis set to host Arab nation talks on Syria as Mideast diplomacy shifts
Diplomats to discuss divisive issue of possible end to Syria’s 2011 suspension from Arab League over regime’s actions during civil war
By Haitham el-Tabei
This combination of file photos shows Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (L) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci and Hussein Malla, File)
April 13, 2023, 3:22 am
Bahrain, Qatar announce restoration of diplomatic ties
US hails rapprochement between Gulf Cooperation Council members, after Manama was last holdout of four Arab nations that imposed boycott and blockade on Doha in 2017
By AP and ToI Staff
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council nations during the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 23, 2022. (David Dee Delgado/Pool Photo via AP)
March 26, 2023, 6:45 pm
Gulf states ask US to respond to Smotrich’s comments on Palestinians
Gulf Cooperation Council ministers blast comments, in fresh sign Israel’s ties with Arab world are heading south; UAE condemns law repealing West Bank disengagement
By Lazar Berman
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