Gulf Cooperation Council

World News

Opinion: Israel's Annexation Plan Dims Hope For Better Ties With Gulf Arab States

6:17pm June 30, 2020

No Gulf Arab country will seriously contemplate normalizing ties with Israel unless Saudi Arabia does it first. The Saudis, who officially condemned the annexation plan, are nowhere close to doing so.

Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council pose for photographers following their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December 2019.

World News

Opinion: Gulf Partners Can No Longer Afford To Stay The Course With U.S. Iran Policy

12:35pm May 15, 2020

It is not in the Gulf Arab states' interest to stay the course with current U.S. Iran policy, write former Pentagon officials Bilal Y. Saab and Michael P. Mulroy. Doing so could lead them to war.

A man walks past the Qatar Airways branch in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Monday. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states severed relations with Qatar and restricted Qatari planes' use of their airspace.

World News

Diplomatic Rift Between Gulf Arab Allies And Qatar Presents Fresh Challenges

5:15pm June 05, 2017

by Alison Meuse

Qatar hosts a key air base for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. It's unclear how or if coalition members that severed ties with Qatar will continue to participate in operations out of that base.

Sec. State John Kerry spoke with NPR's Steve Inskeep at the State Department.

Transcript: Secretary Of State John Kerry On Cuba, Nuclear Deal With Iran

1:38pm July 21, 2015

In an interview, Kerry says that he was prepared to — and did — walk away from nuclear negotiations with Iran, but that Congress rejecting the eventual agreement would cost the U.S. all credibility.

A member of the Saudi border guards mans a machine gun at the border with Iraq in July. Since the so-called Islamic State launched its offensive this summer in Iraq, Saudi Arabia has sent thousands of troops to the region.

World News

Facing Threats From ISIS And Iran, Gulf States Set To Join Forces

11:17am December 09, 2014

by Deborah Amos

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council is expected to form an unprecedented, NATO-inspired joint military command. The growing strength of ISIS and Iran's influence have made cooperation more urgent.

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