Gulf states have submitted a formal request for an urgent debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to address what they describe as widespread Iranian strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
The diplomatic note, circulated by the Gulf states and seen by Reuters, characterises the ballistic missile and drone attacks that have struck Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as a "situation of serious concern for international peace and security," and warns of significant human rights consequences.
Those attacks have occurred amid an intensifying conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran that has entered its third week. According to the diplomatic note, the escalation prompted large-scale Iranian retaliation in the form of drone and missile strikes aimed at energy and civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries.
The note also draws attention to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a series of assaults on energy facilities across the region, developments the Gulf states say have already driven energy prices higher and raised concerns about a potential rise in inflation around the world.
Calling the incidents "unprovoked attacks," the document stresses that Gulf states had given assurances to Tehran that their territories would not be used to launch attacks against Iran. Despite those assurances, the Gulf states assert, they have been targeted and believe the situation requires prompt international scrutiny.
In addition to requesting an urgent debate, the Gulf states have circulated a draft resolution that condemns the strikes, calls on Iran to immediately cease attacks on civilian infrastructure and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and seeks reparations to cover civilian, infrastructure and environmental damage caused by the assaults.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has received the request and is considering a date for the debate, according to a letter from the Council's president, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro. The timing of any session has not been announced in the correspondence referenced in the diplomatic exchanges.
The submission from the Gulf states frames the matter as a dual concern: an immediate security threat from missile and drone strikes and a longer-term humanitarian and economic burden tied to damage to civilian infrastructure and energy facilities.
Contextual note: The details above reflect the content of the diplomatic note and the correspondence with the Human Rights Council as reported in the submission. Where the available material is limited, the article reflects those limits rather than expanding beyond the documented claims.