EU, GCC urge Iran to end attacks

BRUSSELS: EU and Gulf ministers called following crisis talks on Thursday for Iran to immediately end 'indiscriminate' attacks across the region in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, warning global security was at stake.
The foreign ministers met by video link as Iran stepped up attacks on countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council — with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman all now targeted.
'The ministers strongly condemned the unjustifiable Iranian attacks against the GCC countries which threaten regional and global security and called on Iran to cease immediately its attacks,' said a joint statement issued afterwards.
As Iranian missiles and drones have slammed Gulf states' cities and infrastructure, upending relations with Tehran, the neighbours have been put on a potential course for greater confrontation.
But EU and Gulf ministers jointly reaffirmed their 'unwavering commitment to dialogue and diplomacy' as a means to resolve the crisis.
They pledged 'joint diplomatic efforts' for a lasting solution to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and for it to 'cease production and proliferation' of ballistic missiles and drones.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who chaired the talks, earlier said the bloc was looking to help Gulf nations fend off Iranian drone strikes, but warned supplies of relevant kit might be limited.
The UAE said that its air defence systems had intercepted six ballistic missiles, one of which landed on Emirati soil.
UAE air defences detected 131 drones, most of which were also intercepted, according to the Defence Ministry. The missiles and drones are believed to have originated in Iran.
In Abu Dhabi, six people were injured by falling debris during the interception of drones, according to the city's media office.
More than 1,000 drones have been intercepted in the UAE since the outbreak of the Iran war on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said. In addition, almost 200 missiles have been fired in the direction of the Emirates.
The Qatari Defence Ministry said 13 of 14 missiles fired towards the country were intercepted, and one missile fell into the water. In addition, four Iranian drones were intercepted. Several explosions were heard again in the capital, Doha.
The US embassy in Qatar said the Interior Ministry had ordered the evacuation of residents near the embassy building.
The World Health Organization said on Thursday it had halted operations at one of its largest logistics centres and supply warehouses for global emergency operations due to the war in the Middle East.
Sites in Iraq, Azerbaijan, Türkiye also targeted.
Iranian armed forces said meanwhile that they had attacked targets in Iraq.
Iranian state radio reported that a US base in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, had been attacked by a drone strike.
The report stated that 'considerable damage' had been caused by the strike, although there was no confirmation of this.
For the first time in the conflict, a suspected Iranian drone attack hit Azerbaijani territory, prompting the country's armed forces to be placed on alert, state news agency AZERTAC reported.
Drones struck the airport and an area near a school in Nakhchivan, an autonomous exclave. Iran has denied responsibility for the attack. — AFP