Arab foreign ministers on Sunday strongly condemned Iran's missile and drone attacks against neighbouring Arab states, saying those targeted have the right to self defence and calling on Tehran to stop its attacks.
The ministers met online at the request of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman to discuss the attacks that followed the launch of strikes against Iran by the US and Israel on February 28.
An Arab League statement did not say whether foreign ministers of all 21 member states took part in the meeting or divulge details of the discussions.
The statement also did not prescribe any concrete actions in the face of the Iranian attacks or declare any intention to try to mediate an end to the war. In essence, it amounted to a symbolic expression of solidarity.
“Those actions are a flagrant and unjustified aggression that violate sovereignty, international law, the UN charter as well as international humanitarian laws,” said the statement.
It said participants “emphasised the right of Arab nations to defend themselves … and expressed their full solidarity with the Arab nations targeted by the Iranian aggression”.
The statement also condemned what it said were Iran's “provocative” actions that are designed to close the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf.
Turning to Lebanon, the ministers stated their support for the Lebanese government's decision on March 2 to declare illegal any security or military activities by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Sunday's meeting that the Iranian attacks created the necessity to activate the concept of joint Arab action to protect Arab states and deal effectively with present threats, including the creation of a joint Arab force.
A resolution to create a joint Arab force was adopted in a 2015 Arab summit held in Egypt but no steps have been taken to make it a reality, with conflicting priorities by Arab states frequently cited as the reason.
