Gargash says Iran's Gulf strikes premeditated

Anwar Gargash said at the Hili Forum on September 7, 2026, that Iran’s missile and drone strikes were "premeditated" and that trust could take decades to rebuild.

He urged Gulf Cooperation Council states to present a unified diplomatic and strategic response, officials said, and called for coordinated steps to deter further attacks.

Gargash spoke as regional leaders assess the strikes on the UAE and other Gulf countries and weigh security and diplomatic options.

Gargash at Hili Forum

Gargash described the strikes as a "war of choice," placing responsibility for escalation squarely on Tehran, he said. Officials attending the forum flagged the need for both immediate defensive measures and longer-term political strategies.

If GCC states move quickly to coordinate air defenses, intelligence sharing and maritime protection, officials said, those steps could reduce near-term risk to shipping and infrastructure by raising the operational cost of further attacks. If coordination falters, officials warned, the probability of miscalculation or wider confrontation would rise.

The forum also highlighted a longer problem: rebuilding mutual trust. Gargash warned that even with a unified response, confidence between states and across the Gulf and Iran would be slow to return, a process that officials said could span decades.

Officials said follow-up diplomatic consultations and security reviews are expected in the coming months, with a regional ministerial review due by September 30, 2026.