GCC, EU Underscore Need to Intensify International Efforts Leading to De-Escalation

BRUSSELS - Gulf Cooperation Council and European Union officials underscored the need to intensify international efforts leading to de-escalation in the region, as the two sides convened the Third High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation in Brussels on Monday, amid a sharply deteriorating security situation tied to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

The forum, chaired by Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from GCC member states to address the fallout from Iran's recent attacks on Gulf states and the continuing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

A Deteriorating Security Picture

The forum took place against the backdrop of an escalating standoff that has drawn in the United States, Iran, and multiple Gulf states. In the week leading up to the meeting, Iran broadened its ballistic missile strikes to include a Jordanian airbase, while the U.S. carried out new rounds of strikes on Iranian targets. Kallas has previously described the deteriorating situation in the Strait of Hormuz as having significantly impacted regional trade routes, noting that Iran's list of entities it considers threats to freedom of navigation has continued to expand.

Discussions at the forum focused heavily on ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and reaching what an EU spokesperson described as a sustainable arrangement for regional peace and stability. The strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, has become a central flashpoint in the conflict, with Iran having used drones, missiles, and mines to disrupt tanker traffic.

Gulf States Voice Solidarity and Priorities

Oman's delegation, led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashel al-Maskari, head of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Regional Neighbourhood Department at Oman's Foreign Ministry, stressed the importance of sustained Gulf-European dialogue and reaffirmed Oman's commitment to freedom of maritime navigation and the safety of international trade routes in the Strait of Hormuz, in line with international law and the law of the sea. He also affirmed the solidarity of GCC states in confronting the current regional challenges.

On the sidelines of the forum, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif Al Zayani held separate talks with Kallas, with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation topping the agenda. Following those talks, Bahrain and the European Union announced the launch of negotiations on a new Strategic Partnership Agreement, reflecting deepening bilateral ties even as the wider region faces heightened instability.

The Limits of Europe's Naval Response

The forum comes as questions persist over how far the EU is willing to go to help secure the strait militarily. Kallas said in March that while there was a clear wish among member states to strengthen the EU's Aspides naval mission - originally established in 2024 to protect shipping from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea -  there was no appetite among member states to extend its mandate to cover the Strait of Hormuz directly. "Nobody wants to go actively in this war," she said at the time.

Analysts have argued that the EU faces pressure to offer clearer signals about what practical support it is willing to provide to guarantee freedom of navigation, beyond rejecting proposals floated by the United States. Some have pointed to the EU-GCC Strategic Partnership, launched in 2022, as a framework through which an expansion of existing naval operations could be considered.

Diplomatic Track Remains Open

Kallas has said she continues to engage with Iran directly, describing a sustainable solution to Iran's nuclear program as achievable only through negotiation and diplomacy. She has also discussed with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres the possibility of replicating a Black Sea-style arrangement — similar to the deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to continue during wartime — as a way to unblock oil and gas transport through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Brussels forum builds on a series of emergency GCC-EU consultations held since Iran's attacks on Gulf states first escalated earlier this year, including an extraordinary ministerial meeting in March at which both sides jointly condemned Iran's actions and reaffirmed the importance of protecting regional airspace, maritime routes, and global energy markets.