On Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a formal rejection of a joint statement by the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued the previous day after a ministerial meeting in Manama, Bahrain. The ministry described the US-GCC communiqué as "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative," warning against the continuation of such policies. The joint statement, endorsed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the six GCC states, had called for confronting "all forms of threats from Iran," including ballistic missiles, drones, and support for regional armed groups, and stressed the need for unconditional freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

In its detailed rebuttal, the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed Washington's claim of a "sustained commitment" to GCC security as "rhetoric and distortion of reality," arguing that the US military presence in the region had become a source of insecurity and division. Tehran pointed to the use of US bases and facilities in regional states to carry out acts of aggression against Iran between 28 February and 8 April 2026 as evidence that Washington places no value on regional security. The ministry called on those GCC members whose territory was used during what it termed the "recent imposed war by US-Israeli aggressors" to reconsider their positions, and reiterated their obligation under international law and the principle of good neighbourliness to prevent any third party from using their soil for unlawful military actions against Iran.

The Iranian statement also addressed the nuclear file, expressing "disgust" at what it called a "big lie fabricated by the genocidal Zionist regime and the United States" regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear programme. It urged GCC states to join Tehran's initiative for a West Asia free of nuclear weapons rather than aligning with Washington's "threat narrative." On the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry stressed that the waterway lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and that navigation management would be based on paragraph 5 of the memorandum of understanding that ended the recent war. This directly countered the US-GCC call for unrestricted transit passage and rejection of any fees or controls on shipping. The ministry further condemned the characterisation of Iran's missile and drone capabilities as a threat, asserting that the US "divide and rule" policy had driven Gulf states into a dangerous arms race, and declared that Iran would not tolerate "even the slightest compromise" in defending its sovereignty.

The exchange follows the signing of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on 17 June, which did not address missiles or regional proxies but was welcomed by the GCC as a step toward a final agreement preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The GCC statement conditioned any economic cooperation with Iran on its compliance with the MoU and a final deal. Viewed from Tehran, the US-GCC declaration represents an attempt to impose extraneous demands beyond the agreed framework. The Iranian Foreign Ministry concluded by calling on GCC states to reconsider their security approaches in light of the recent war, reiterating that "collective security can only be achieved through cooperation among regional states and without foreign intervention." With the 60-day interim period for the Strait of Hormuz underway, and Rubio's regional tour aimed at reassuring Gulf allies, the dossier remains highly sensitive, with further diplomatic engagements expected to test the durability of the interim arrangements.