Bahrain summit puts pressure on Tehran as war fears rise

The 22nd IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain became a stage for Arab governments and their allies to place the burden of response squarely on Tehran, with warnings that a second phase of the US-Iran war could prove more destructive than the first unless diplomacy produces reciprocal action.

Foreign ministers and senior officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Syria and Yemen addressed Iranian attacks, Houthi operations and the widening risks to regional security at the gathering, covered in detail by Iran International at https://www.iranintl.com/en/202610310782. The forum framed the central question as one of accountability: which side is prepared to act first, and under what rules.

Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, secretary general of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, said the bloc remained open to negotiations but insisted that diplomacy required partners who respond in kind. “The GCC states have always called for dialogue and negotiation to resolve any issue in the region, and they still do,” he said. He noted that the council maintained open channels with Iran alongside partnerships with Western powers, China, Russia and others, calling that ability to talk to all sides one of the few assets left in a region of widening divides.

Al Budaiwi also laid out concrete demands grounded in international norms. He called for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to return to conditions before February 28, when the war began, and said Iranian attacks on GCC member states had caused casualties and damaged civilian and critical infrastructure. Disruptions to the strait, he added, had affected energy prices, shipping, insurance and global supply chains. “The GCC states were not a party to the war and did not seek it,” he said.

By contrast, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty delivered the starkest institutional warning, telling the conference that a second round of fighting would be more dangerous and more destructive and would lead nowhere. “A war can begin with a unilateral decision, but no one can unilaterally control its consequences or stop it,” he said, according to Reuters. He called for diplomatic channels, confidence-building measures and regional participation in security arrangements, and cautioned against repeating mistakes made during negotiations over the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. “Deterrence without diplomacy may postpone war, but cannot prevent it,” he said.

Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji framed the protection of international trade routes as a shared responsibility requiring regional and international cooperation based on respect for international law, citing threats to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. He condemned renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and threats to commercial shipping, accusing the group of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the Yemen conflict.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba pointed to documented outside support for the Houthis, citing UN panel of experts findings she said proved assistance from Iran, Iraqi armed groups and Hezbollah. She called for efforts to stop weapons and financing reaching the group and argued that restoring Yemeni state authority was essential to protecting maritime routes. “Coastal security starts with security on land and the protection of civilians,” she said.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty described the United Kingdom’s defensive posture, noting that air defense equipment and personnel had been deployed to Saudi Arabia after renewed Houthi attacks, and that British forces had flown defensive missions over Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE during Iranian attacks while supporting Bahrain and Kuwait. “We are clear and united in understanding the threat that is posed by Iran and the very serious threats from Iran and its proxies,” he said, while reiterating Britain’s opposition to an Iranian nuclear weapon and pledging continued diplomatic engagement. “We must strain every sinew for peace,” he added.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned missile and drone attacks on regional states and pledged support for Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Jordan, saying Damascus was working to consolidate state control over weapons and strengthen cooperation with neighbors. “We are against using Syria to threaten the neighboring countries,” he said.

The summit’s common thread was a demand that Tehran answer offers of cooperation with action rather than escalation. “This invitation still stands for those who answer it with action,” Al Budaiwi said, leaving the question of reciprocal response squarely with Iran’s leadership.