GCC Seeks Full Compensation from Iran for Damage from Attacks Since February
Key Facts
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi demanded that Iran provide full compensation for damage he said resulted from its attacks, during a briefing to the Security Council on November 13, 2026. Albudaiwi said Gulf states had faced thousands of missile and drone attacks since February 28. The demand puts responsibility for the damage at the center of the dispute between the two sides, while Iran has made counter-accusations over the role of Gulf states in U.S. attacks on it. The National reported that Iran’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Gholam Hossein Darzi, said Gulf states had facilitated those attacks. Darzi added that these states “violated the UN Charter and international law and must be held accountable.”
According to Albudaiwi, targets included airports, ports, oil and gas facilities, power and desalination plants, and residential areas. He said the attacks began on February 28 and hit civilian sectors and critical infrastructure in Gulf states. The GCC based its request on international law and Human Rights Council Resolution 61/1, calling on the Security Council to require Iran to compensate for the damage. The move reflects a Gulf effort to bring the question of compensation into diplomatic and legal action at the United Nations. Darzi, in turn, framed Iran’s objection as an accusation that Gulf states had facilitated U.S. operations, and called for them to be held accountable. The reported statements offered no resolution of the dispute over responsibility for the damage or how it should be remedied.
The diplomatic dispute comes as concerns persist over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The International Maritime Organization said on November 11 that attacks on commercial vessels were continuing, while GCC states called for navigation conditions to return to those in place before February 28. Albudaiwi rejected attempts to obstruct navigation or impose illegal transit fees, The National reported. Separately, The Associated Press reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted a radar system at a U.S. helicopter base in Bahrain, and that U.S. Central Command did not immediately comment. The report also said Bahrain’s military had stated that its defenses intercepted Iranian projectiles. These events remain part of the regional tensions surrounding the compensation demand, but do not in themselves determine responsibility for each maritime incident.
Albudaiwi linked any future agreement with Iran to addressing Gulf security concerns, including its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, drones and support for armed groups. He also called for navigation conditions in the Strait of Hormuz to return to those in place before February 28, ruling out acceptance of obstructed passage or illegal transit fees. In a parallel track, The Associated Press reported that Iran was reviewing Qatari proposals to narrow differences with the United States over its nuclear program. But a regional official told the news agency that Tehran was not prepared to negotiate before its conditions for a ceasefire were met, including compensation for war damage. The Qatari proposal, according to regional officials cited by the agency, included reopening the strait on the second day as part of confidence-building steps, followed by broader talks between Washington and Tehran. This places navigation and compensation among the interlinked issues in diplomatic efforts, while the reports gave no announced date for a new round of negotiations.