Gulf states call on Iran to make reparations for attacks

Bahrain’s representative told the UN General Assembly’s legal committee on 5 November that Iranian attacks had caused loss of life and material damage in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, hampered trade and energy flows and undermined maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. She called on Tehran to provide “full reparation” for the harm.

The exchange came as the committee concluded its review of the International Law Commission’s annual report, following earlier discussions on compensation for internationally wrongful acts. The UN’s account of Bahrain’s remarks did not identify individual attacks or give a figure for the claim.

Iran’s representative responded that aggression against his country had been facilitated by the use of territory, airspace and facilities belonging to certain countries in the region. He argued that a state breaches the prohibition on the use of force if it allows another country to use its territory to attack a third state. He did not name the countries or attacks he meant.

The dispute follows US and Israeli air strikes on Iran in February and Iranian attacks on countries in the region. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned both at the time.

At a separate Security Council meeting on 7 April, Iran said the United States had used military bases and facilities in Gulf countries during the war. Bahrain said the Gulf states were not parties to the war and that their bases had not been used for attacks on Iran. It also said Gulf forces had acted defensively.

In March, the Security Council condemned Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and demanded that they stop. The resolution did not order reparations. Bahrain’s representative referred to relevant UN resolutions in her November remarks but did not name one.

Bahrain had previously made a national claim for full reparation in a May letter to the Security Council, over damage from an attack on a petrochemical facility that it attributed to Iran.