Gulf Arab states close ranks with joint command centre after Iran war

DOHA – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a bloc of US allies that includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, approved a joint forward-command centre, signalling their desire to deepen military integration in the wake of the Iran war.The Unified Military Command will be headquartered in Kuwait, and forces will be allocated to it, GCC secretary-general Jasem AlBudaiwi said in a statement on Nov 10. The announcement followed a meeting of GCC defence ministers in Bahrain.The six GCC states, which also include Qatar and Oman, have been attacked thousands of times in 2026 by Iranian drones and missiles, in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.Tehran said its counterstrikes were aimed at American assets, including bases in the GCC, though many targeted civilian sites such as ports and cities.The strikes from Iran, as well as from Tehran-backed militias in Iraq and Yemen, have given the Gulf Arab countries impetus to coordinate more closely to improve their security.It is unclear if the new command centre will integrate the air defence systems in the six countries, which many analysts have said is necessary to fend off any future strikes.AlBudaiwi criticised the “sinful Iranian attacks” and praised the level of cooperation among the armed forces of the GCC. BLOOMBERG