Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s final stop in the Gulf region came Thursday at a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which released a lengthy joint statement with the United States agreeing on all points with American goals in Iran.
“The ministers welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran on June 17 and recognized the important mediating role played by Pakistan and Qatar,” the statement said. “They emphasized the need to maintain momentum and unity as negotiations work toward a more permanent end to hostilities and the shared goal of preventing Iran from ever developing or otherwise acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
The six members of the GCC include Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“The ministers also emphasized that lasting peace and security in the region requires addressing the full spectrum of threats to Iran, including its ballistic missiles, drones and support for proxies in the region,” the joint statement said.
The statement also included comments about imposing tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a plan Iran has not ruled out after the end of the current 60-day pause. Oman, as Rubio said previously, has repelled attack ships passing through the strait between the two countries.
“The ministers also emphasized the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that free, unconditional and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage guaranteed by international law, remains essential to regional and global security,” the statement said.
